tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17112735221933381402024-03-20T15:13:07.374+00:00Eat Out Eat InIt's all about food.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-28061309372880752042015-05-09T11:14:00.000+01:002015-05-09T11:14:28.868+01:00Blue Sapphire, DentonBlue Sapphire, Thai restaurant in Denton has only been here for around 9 months, and has only just recently been knocked down from number one on trip advisor for restaurants in Greater Manchester. <br />
This small Thai restaurant serves the best Thai food we've had in a long time, if not the best Thai food we've ever had, the service is fantastic, and the whole experience is extremely good value for money.<br />
Since its opening last year we have eaten there a quite a bit. We've taken the little one, who was welcomed and fussed over, we've had more extravagant meals there, and we've also had a takeaway. Every single time Donna and her team have made us feel welcome and always the food is excellent.<br />
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We read somewhere, but can't find where, that the chef may have previously worked at Chaophraya, but don't take our word for it - we may have dreamt it! The food certainly matches what we've eaten there, if not betters it. The service for sure is much more notable. Since this is a small restaurant, you are made to feel comfortable and at ease when you walk in. There is no alcohol licence, but if you have brought a bottle (rather than opting to try one of the mocktails, or exotic teas on offer), then it is quickly refrigerated for you if needed, and you're offered an ice bucket. <br />
The menu includes some recognisable Thai dishes: red curry, Phad Thai, various stir fries and fish cakes etc, but some less familiar dishes for example Pla Rad Prik (Crispy Tilapia with chilli and garlic sauce), which is now one of our favourites.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/16407666187" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2846 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2846" height="320" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8683/16407666187_74e94d8807.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crispy fried Tilapia</td></tr>
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The staff are always keen to help you with your choice and can explain anything on the menu you don't understand, and they are also interested to hear if you would prefer less heat in your dish, or you would prefer more of something. We understand that there is only one chef in the kitchen, and that everything is cooked to order. This is evident in the fact that everything tastes fresh and vibrant. No two dishes taste the same as if they've been put together from one pot of base-sauce.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef Penang</td></tr>
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We really don't have anything negative to say about Blue Sapphire. The only thing that is picked up on trip advisor is that there is no children's menu - which is true, but the chef is able to prepare anything you'd like for kids. Unless if you want to order chicken nuggets and chips maybe - or maybe not. I believe that they are in the process of putting together a children's menu. We've always been able to find something for the little one to eat. Whether it is just noodles, or a small chicken stir fry. Surely, in a Thai restaurant, you go there to eat Thai food, even if you are 3!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/16599644442" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3205 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3205" height="320" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7282/16599644442_608e87561d.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicken and cashew nuts</td></tr>
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We've eaten there when it first opened and we were the only people in, we've also been there on Valentine's Day when every table was occupied and the place was buzzing. On every occasion, the food, the welcome, and the friendly service has been exceptional. We even booked the whole restaurant for Tim's 40th birthday as we wanted to show it off to our family and friends.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/16427945300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2660 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2660" height="320" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8628/16427945300_3f57716389.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mee Grob</td></tr>
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Anyway, I've gone on and on abut how great this place is. Please try it for yourself. It may not look much from the roadside, but you will not be disappointed. <br />
Just a few tempting photos...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/17377433625" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3437 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3437" height="200" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7696/17377433625_f2e4a41420_z.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table setting</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/17351468396" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3440 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3440" height="149" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8744/17351468396_3d80ba3f47_z.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep fried tofu<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/17189624218" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3441 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3441" height="149" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7737/17189624218_ec52091433_z.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork toast</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/17169954627" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3442 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3442" height="200" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8858/17169954627_03e54e5131_z.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled Squid</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/17114153098" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="DSC00066 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC00066" height="200" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8709/17114153098_d3daa9874a_z.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Party time</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/17094447797" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_3424 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3424" height="200" src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7683/17094447797_2e4a034763_z.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice Tea</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/16429149479" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_2847 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_2847" height="200" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8639/16429149479_4b7b71b05f_z.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef with mushrooms</td></tr>
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Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-657669624865014422015-03-10T20:26:00.001+00:002015-03-10T20:26:37.820+00:00Stir-Fried Shrimp in Hot SauceHere's another recipe from one of the many recipe books in the house. And another step towards the goal of actually cooking something from each book which is something on <a href="http://todobefore40.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">The List</a> of things I have set myself to do before I am 40.<br />
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The book it is from is Tastes of China by Jacki Passmore. I can't find out much about the book, or about the author but it seems that the book is quite rare now, although it does seem that second hand versions are available from various sources.<br />
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We've never actually cooked from the book, possibly because that upon reading there are a number of ingredients that seem scary and not available in a normal supermarket, and I think this book has been on the shelf a while. More recently, we've discovered the joys of China Town and the various oriental supermarkets in town so we regularly have more of the exotic sounding ingredients in the cupboard and fridge like shaoxing rice wine, thai fish sauce, shrimp paste, sriracha chilli sauce and chilli bean paste.<br />
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We were looking for something exciting to cook from this book, and to be honest, pretty much every recipe seems quite exciting and out of the ordinary for us. Perhaps because it listed real ingredients rather than just "chicken, peppers, and a jar of sauce" as so many Chinese recipes seem to from certain sources. We chose the Stir-Fried Shrimp in Hot sauce as we fancied something a bit spicy, and pretty much had all the ingredients in.<br />
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The recipe involved deep frying the prawns after they had been marinated and then coated with egg white and cornflour, so it was a little bit of an epic one. But the finished dish was worth it. The recipe said 1-2 tablespoons of chilli bean paste and we used just the one. This made the dish borderline in it's heat. Any more and it would have been too hot for us - so we'll know not to be tempted to add more next time. And there will be a next time - it was lovely, very tasty indeed. We served it with very lazy straight-to-wok noodles. They were a bit odd, a bit bouncy, and a bit clumpy, but worth a try if only to satisfy curiosity.<br />
The only thing that bothered us is the rubbish photo, but hey ho, nevermind.<br />
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Recipe:<br />
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375g raw shrimp, peeled<br />
3 teaspoons rice wine, ginger wine, or dry sherry<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
2 egg whites, well beaten<br />
1/2 cup cornflour<br />
oil for deep frying<br />
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Sauce:<br />
4 spring onions, trimmed and minced<br />
1cm piece fresh ginger, shredded<br />
4 cloves garlic, crushed<br />
2 tablespoons oil<br />
1 teaspoon sesame oil<br />
1-2 tablespoons chilli bean sauce (to taste)<br />
1-2 teaspoons sugar<br />
2 teaspoons cornflour<br />
3/4 cup stock<br />
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Season the shrimp with the wine and salt and set aside for a few minutes. Make a batter of the egg whites and cornflour, adding a little cold water. Coat the prawns and deep-fry in hot oil until crisp and golden. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.<br />
Stir-fry the onions, ginger and garlic in the oil for about 1 minute. Add the sesame oil, bean sauce and sugar. Cook briefly. Stir cornflour into the stock, add to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add the shrimp, toss quickly in the sauce and serve at once.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-28833036201261223202015-02-08T17:25:00.000+00:002015-02-08T17:25:00.241+00:00India The Restaurant, Malton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/16472695331" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_3158 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_3158" height="320" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7297/16472695331_31932366ac.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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Last night saw us return to a fantastic new restaurant in Malton, North Yorks called <a href="http://indiatherestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank">India The Restaurant</a>. We tried them out for the first time last February so this wasn't our first visit. The first time we thought that the atmosphere and service were very good but we were a tiny bit unhappy with our food choices so didn't get as excited about it as we usually do when we find a great place to eat.<br />
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This time was to be a little different. We re-read the tripadvisor post we had published following our first visit and took our own advice on menu choices.<br />
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Firstly we want to say that this is a restaurant that absolutely meets a need in the town. Malton is the town where Fran grew up and as her Mum still lives there, we do visit from time to time and have been visiting together for the last 7 years. We had always thought that, although there a one or two decent places to eat in Malton, there was definitely a need for a modern Indian restaurant. <a href="http://indiatherestaurant.co.uk/" target="_blank">India</a> hits this brief completely. It is quite a large restaurant but through the stylish decor and clever use of partitions they have managed to create a very intimate eating experience for those looking for that kind of atmosphere. They still have larger tables at one end that can accommodate larger parties and a nice looking bar area for people waiting for a table or just enjoying a pre-dinner drink. It has everything!<br />
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On our first trip we noted the great service. On the second trip we saw that their standards have not slipped at all. We were warmly greeted and shown to a well made table. Offered poppadoms (which came very quickly) to enjoy while we browsed the menu. The drinks order was then taken and we enjoyed a lovely bottle of Chilean Chardonnay.<br />
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For starters we went for a Prawn Poori and Onion Bhajis. The Poori (lots of different spellings), came as the flavoursome curry wrapped in the chapatti. It arrived with a salad (including strawberry and melon!) and was first class. I think I could drink this sauce it was that good. The bhajis were small, crisp and tested very fresh. We were now thinking that we would be soon enjoying a better meal than last time. We had already looked at the menu on-line and had decided we would order the Butter Chicken that we had last time. We wrote on Tripadvisor that it was the best Butter Chicken we had ever tasted so we trusted our own judgement - and glad that we did! There was plenty of sauce and chunks of good quality chicken. To accompany the Butter Chicken we wanted something with a little kick so just chose a simple Lamb Madras. The sauce was rich, tasty and hot and the lamb was tender. All too often have we ended up chewing tough lamb in a curry! This was actually a little on the hot side for our tastes, but the heat didn't mask the depth of flavour of this dish. A pilau rice and some chapattis were a perfect accompaniment. <br />
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Having read some of the reviews on trip advisor, we do have to comment about what some people think is an issue in that the restaurant is too dark. On both our visits, we never saw this as an issue. The restaurant is lit with candles on the table, stylish ceiling lights and candles set into the walls. Perhaps other reviewers were directly comparing the lighting to other establishments in the area. The lighting only adds to the atmosphere which obviously contributes to a great meal out.<br />
We will certainly be visiting again, as there are more dishes we'd like to try, but maybe not the madras for us next time.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-84656881393355298712015-01-18T14:46:00.000+00:002015-01-18T14:53:52.158+00:00North African Lamb<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bit of an odd post. <br />
Yes, it has been a while - not excuses really. We just haven't posted. But something external to this blog has prompted this flurry of action.<br />
I've recently made a to do list of things to achieve/see/try before turning 40, and one of these is to get back to writing this blog. So there you go! Done. Another thing on the list is to cook something from every recipe book we own. For normal people this might be a simple task, but we have a recipe book problem. There are over 120 books on our shelves. On top of the shelves too. And by the bed.<br />
So here I am tying 2 things from the list together. I am documenting the journey of ticking everything off the list on another blog: <a href="http://todobefore40.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">http://todobefore40.blogspot.co.uk/</a>, but obviously here will be all about the food.<br />
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So here is the first rather tasty and successful attempt at getting through all those books. (Don't worry, we wont start copying everyone's recipes on to here for the next however many posts. Just a few to note, and to remind ourselves on what we particularly liked when looking back).<br />
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This came from Jamie Oliver's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Naked-Chef-Jamie-Oliver/dp/0718143604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421589246&sr=8-1&keywords=the+naked+chef" target="_blank">The Naked Chef</a>. A book which I picked up from a charity shop some time ago. We have quite a few Jamie Oliver books, and the recipes do seem to be reliable and easy to follow. We'd been fancying a bit of lamb recently, and also some kind of Moroccan dish, so the North African Lamb with Chilli, Ginger, Chickpeas and Couscous seemed ideal.<br />
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The recipe called for salting and draining the aubergines, something we'd never actually done before as I wasn't ever too convinced about the point, but I followed the recipe and did just this. I say followed the recipe, it transpired I did mis-read a couple of bits. I halved the quantities as I was only cooking for the two of us, but I missed the bit about halving the salt for the aubergines. When I came to squeeze them out there wasn't that much liquid, and not a lot had drained either, so I am still non-the wiser about the actual point. The inappropriate amount of salt was reflected in the overall dish, but it didn't spoil it - I didn't need to season it anymore at the end, but we did have a slight thirst on later!<br />
Also, I did keep it on the hob longer than specified as eating timings with a 3-year-old in the house are always hit-and-miss. Maybe this is why the aubergines, as well as the tomatoes melted away into the sauce, but we didn't complain. The other slight confusion was over the chickpeas. I used canned chickpeas but the recipe said dried, soaked overnight and then cooked. So I didn't really know the quantity to put in. Having said all this, it was all very lovely indeed, and we will be using this recipe again. We served it with the Couscous salad from the same book which was couscous mixed with roasted pepper, shallot and garlic, dressing with lemon and olive oil. <br />
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So here is the recipe, word for word from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Naked-Chef-Jamie-Oliver/dp/0718143604/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421589246&sr=8-1&keywords=the+naked+chef" target="_blank">The Naked Chef</a> book:<br />
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Serves 4-6<br />
170g/6oz chickpeas, soaked overnight<br />
2 large firm aubergines<br />
salt and freshly ground black pepper<br />
10 fresh plum tomatoes<br />
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds<br />
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds<br />
grated nutmeg to taste<br />
4 neck fillets of lamb (285g/10oz each), sliced into 5cm/2 inch pieces<br />
4 tablespoons olive oil<br />
4 medium/large chillies<br />
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger<br />
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped<br />
1 teaspoon vinegar<br />
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley<br />
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander<br />
couscous<br />
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Drain the soaked chickpeas. Cover with water, bring to the boil and cook until tender. Chop the aubergines into rough, chunky 2.5cm/1-inch size dice and place in a colander over the sink. Sprinkle with salt (about 1 tablespoon). This will dehydrate the aubergines and drain away some of the bitter juices (leave for about 1/2 hour). Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water, remove the skins, deseed and quarter.<br />
Using a pestle and mortar, pound up the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and 1 teaspoon salt, then put into a bowl and add 12 gratings of nutmeg Toss the lamb into the mixture and stir well to coat. Heat a large casserole pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sear the lamb until dark golden brown.<br />
Gently squeeze the excess liquid form the aubergines (this will take away most of the salt too). Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to your hot pan and fry the aubergines with the lamb for about 2 minutes, keeping everything on the move. Add the chilli and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute (still stirring, s as not to over-colour). Ad the vinegar and tomatoes and shake now and again. Turn the het down to a gentle simmer, place a lid on and leave for 1 hour, then add the cooked chickpeas and simmer for another 5 minutes. The tomatoes should have melted to a sauce and the aubergines should be sweet. Check the seasoning and stir in the parsley and coriander. Serve with couscous.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-64784144498170526112014-01-23T12:27:00.001+00:002014-01-23T14:24:31.533+00:00Haggis Swirl<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/12100862726/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_1040 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1040" height="240" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2879/12100862726_e0791c735f.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haggis Swirl</td></tr>
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Burns Night is upon us. If you're looking for a very simple way of toasting the occasion then why not try this lovely idea of ours. We went through a phase of buying meat swirls from Morrisons with our favourite being a lamb swirl which was minted lamb wrapped up in pastry then baked. They were delicious and we figured it would be very easy to adapt the idea for other ingredients. We tried a chilli swirl by just making a very simple chilli con carne and spreading it over a puff pastry sheet then baking for 30 minutes.<br />
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But this time last year we tried a Haggis Swirl which was lovely.<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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1 can of haggis<br />
1 sheet of puff pastry<br />
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Method:<br />
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Warm the haggis in a pan for about 5 minutes. Spread over a sheet of puff pastry at about an half an inch deep. Roll and cut into portions. We found one sheet makes 4 rolls. Bake for 30 minutes.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/12102251346/" title="IMG_1035 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1035" height="150" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7436/12102251346_085b642176_q.jpg" width="150" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/12101865273/" title="IMG_1036 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1036" height="150" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/12101865273_1539bc0f59_q.jpg" width="150" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/69819572@N03/12101963624/" title="IMG_1038 by timmiclarke, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_1038" height="150" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3671/12101963624_7601d13ca9_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
What could be simpler? Ok so it isn't really a recipe but none the less a great idea. Happy Burns Night everybody.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-4581456959994584492013-03-04T10:12:00.000+00:002013-03-04T10:12:07.802+00:00Easter Eggs for Grown Ups<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8526683683/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0518 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0518" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8526683683_be7c4e6293_m.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Desert Range by Thorntons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A little while ago we were asked if we would like to try a new
range of Easter Eggs by </span><a href="http://www.thorntons.co.uk/section/Easter/2459.uts" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Thorntons</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. We have been asked
before to try products and to be honest we don't often agree to it - but this
was a little harder to refuse!</span><br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
decided that given the nature of the range that they would be best tried as a
desert. So we waited for a rare Saturday night when I wasn't working and
we could have tea together. We tried a new recipe for our main meal too
but that turned out a disaster and tasted like someone dropped a beer in some
tomato soup and threw it over my sandwich!! (maybe a blog-post for the future)
so we needed cheering up. And this little project certainly cheered us
up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
when you go looking in supermarkets for Easter Eggs for the family
you might be swayed by the 3 for £5 offers or something similar. Now that
is fine for little people but if you want to make someone feel really special
then you can't go far wrong with one of the choices above. These eggs are
seriously indulgent - maybe not for the faint-hearted - and probably best not
eaten in one sitting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
first thing I noticed when getting these eggs out of the packaging was the
weight. They really were chunky and I'll admit that we had to get a
rolling pin to them. Not because the chocolate has hard as such - but it
was so thick. All good signs as far as I am concerned.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full 'O' Fudge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
Full 'O' Fudge Egg was great. It was really well presented with fudge
seemingly bursting out of the egg itself. The fudge was sweet and crumbly
as fudge should be and even ran throughout the chocolate egg itself which was a
feature of all the eggs we found. They weren't just eggs with decoration
- each one is individually created with the theme running right through it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8527796282/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0521 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0521" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8520/8527796282_541e3af90f_m.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tons 'O' Toffee</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
Tons 'O' Toffee was perhaps Fran's favourite. Again, the toffee pieces
ran throughout the silky milk chocolate egg and we found there was soft and
hard pieces too which added a nice contrast in texture. The
toffee was delicious and there was no scrimping on quantity either. Fran
seems to think that the toffee used in this one is Thornton's Special Toffee -
this isn't confirmed but it certainly is tasty enough for that to be the case.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8527798018/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="IMG_0519 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_0519" height="240" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8523/8527798018_0d16d1d56d_m.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Forest Gateau</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now
as I am writing this blog-post I have taken the liberty of saving what I
thought to be the best - for last. The Black Forest Gateau Egg was
amazing. It was perhaps the closest thing to an actual desert in my
opinion. It was made with a lovely rich dark chocolate and deep, proper
fruity, dark cherries not only bursting out of the front of the egg but again
running through the chocolate. After breaking up the egg if you saw a
thicker piece you knew it would be crammed full of cherries. I think the
creamy effect on the front of the egg was made with white chocolate but it was
lovely and creamy and the swirls of chocolate really finished it off making you
feel like you have actually had a Black Forest Gateau!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We were very grateful for being given the opportunity to try these eggs and would definitely recommend them as the title suggests - for grown-ups. Chocolate this good would be wasted on children! There is another egg in the range called Tempting Trifle which we haven't tried - but imagine it to be fantastic too. If you can think of 3 people you like enough to give these to then there is an offer on the</span><span class="apple-converted-space" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><a href="http://www.thorntons.co.uk/thumbnail/Easter/Chocolate-Easter-Eggs/Chocolate-Easter-Eggs/pc/2459/c/2461/2461.uts?" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">website</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> at the moment offering 3 for £20 which considering the quality we think is great value.</span></div>
Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-83892888171191711982013-02-04T17:01:00.000+00:002013-02-04T17:01:17.489+00:00Savoury scones<br />
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Following our trip to the fantastic <a href="http://threechimneys.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Three Chimneys</a> I came back all inspired to try and make wonderful new things.<br />
The first of which was cheese scones.<br />
The Three Chimneys gave us little freshly baked cheese scones as an appetizer to nibble on while we were looking at the menu each night. They were still warm from the oven, crisp yet soft in the centre, and despite being gluten-free, did not turn to crumbs!<br />
These would be ideal as an extra savoury snack to take to work for lunch, or something to bridge the gap between getting in from work, while cooking the main meal.<br />
I dug around in my massive library of cooking books and found a recipe for scones in the reliable<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dairy-Book-Home-Cookery/dp/0900543418/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1359996944&sr=8-2" target="_blank"> Dairy Book of Home Cookery</a>.<br />
I followed the recipe variation for cheese scones, but using g-f flour, and the scones turned out well. I added a little grated parmesan to the top of each, and used an upturned champagne flute to cut them out in the absence of any biscuit cutters.<br />
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Another variation I made was sundried tomato and black olive. I simply chopped a few black olives and some sundried tomatoes and added these to the scone mixture along with a little of the preservation oil. The mixture did need a little more flour to avoid being too sticky.<br />
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The scones didn’t rise too much, and were a little dense. I have seen some recipes in the past that use 00 flour – something which I’m pretty sure there isn’t a g-f equivalent for, so their flatness was no surprise. To be honest, the scones turned out how I’d hoped (but actually nothing like the version we’d had at the Three Chimneys!), as something savoury to nibble on instead of indulging in something far less healthy and more salty. The only issue was that they seemed to go stale pretty quick – best eat them while still warm from the oven then!<br />
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Basic recipe (from the Dairy book of Home Cookery)<br />
<br />
200g self raising flour<br />
1/2 level teaspoon salt<br />
50g butter<br />
125ml milk<br />
extra milk for brushing<br />
<br />
1. Sift flour and salt into a bowl.<br />
2. Rub in butter finely.<br />
3. Add milk all at once. Mix to soft, but not sticky dough with knife.<br />
4. Turn on to lightly floured board. Knead quickly until smooth.<br />
5. Roll out to about 1cm thickness.<br />
6. Cut into 9 or 10 rounds with 6cm cutter.<br />
7. Transfer to buttered baking tray. Brush tops with milk.<br />
8. bake towards the top of hot oven (230C or Gas 8) for 7-10 minutes (or until well risen and golden brown).<br />
9. Cool on wire rack. Serve with butter or whipped cream and jam, or butter and cheese.<br />
Makes 9 to 10 scones.<br />
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Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-20523177450693434272013-01-11T18:03:00.000+00:002013-01-11T18:03:10.230+00:00Three Chimneys, Skye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well the time has finally come to write about our stay at <a href="http://www.threechimneys.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Three Chimneys and the House Over-By</a>. As this was our honeymoon and as we only had a few days in which to celebrate, we had decided to go for something really special and The Three Chimneys <i><b>is </b></i>really special.<br />
<br />
If you read our blog regularly you will know that we do not do reviews of restaurants as such but prefer to talk about places we like and then make recommendations. After this trip we can honestly say the for us The Three Chimneys and the House Over-By represents the very best in fantastic food and hospitality. There were little things that may go unnoticed like the way every member of staff knew who we were when we arrived and the way the front of house team actually greeted us as we walked down the little path to the front of the restaurant and personally showed us to the reception in the House Over-By. Things like this may get taken for granted by some people but for us it just reassured us that after nearly 500 miles driving we were about to start a few days of a magical trip. And The Three Chimneys did not disappoint at any time or on any level.<br />
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This was my (Tim's) first time to Skye and it is a breathtaking island. From the moment we disembarked the ferry at Armadale and drove through a thunder cloud in pitch blackness at tea time there was drama round every corner. This is what we wanted when booking a honeymoon in Scotland during Autumn. The one thing we couldn't rely on was the the weather so instead we embraced it and we even got to experience a double rainbow.<br />
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The real reason we came to Skye (apart from to celebrate the start of our lives together, of course) was to experience The Three Chimneys Restaurant. But first the accommodation:<br />
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The House Over-By is a purpose built block that sits only yards away from the restaurant. It is a beautifully designed building that houses 6 luxurious split level rooms. There is a breakfast room and of course a kitchen. The breakfast room enjoys fantastic sea views (as do the rooms) and even has a telescope to watch the seals play at the shore.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">House Over-By</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luxurious Bathroom</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even the bathroom was fantastic. A lovely big bath and a (very) powerful shower was accompanied by <a href="http://www.templespa.com/" target="_blank">Temple Spa</a> toiletries which, thanks to the link have since appeared under our Christmas Tree.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast Room with a view</td></tr>
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The breakfasts were stunning. Each day a table is laid out with a fantastic spread of cheeses, granola, fruit, smoked salmon, pate, home-baked scones etc. And the table you see before you is set regardless of how many people are in for breakfast, such is their determination to make you feel special. The service didn't stop there, however, when we booked our stay 6 months prior, I mentioned that Fran was gluten-aware and that she avoids wheat and gluten whenever possible. This did not go unnoticed and every morning and indeed every mealtime there were gluten-free goodies. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gluten-Free Scones</td></tr>
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At breakfast (without prompting) Fran was presented with home-baked gluten-free scones to accompany her meal and they even prepared a gluten-free granola just for her. Service we have never experienced before - and would be hard pushed to find again. </div>
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Along side this beautiful display of delights, we were able to choose a hot dish from the kitchen, which changed each day. The choices on the three mornings were were there were; Kippers, Black Pudding with Bacon and Eggs Benedict.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kippers with Mustard Creme Fraiche</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Pudding and Bacon with a Horseradish Sauce</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs Benedict</td></tr>
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On to the restaurant. On each of the three nights we ate there, we were greeted by the front of house staff, asked how our day was and shown to our table. We were seated in different parts of the restaurant each night. The restaurant has low ceilings, white-washed stone walls, soft wall lighting and candles on each table giving an intimate feel even when the restaurant is packed.<br />
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Every night we were given the menu together with some tiny cheese scones and some sour dough crisps and smoked fish dip to nibble on while we considered our choices. Again, one set of these appetisers was gluten-free, and to be honest, the only way you could tell which was which was because the waiter had told us! None of this dry, crumbly gluten-free baking here!<br />
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The menu was full of locally produced seasonal food, with the odd exotic dish thrown in. Since we were on Skye in game season, certain things had to be ordered. As well as perhaps the most freshest local seafood ever, we chose local mallard and beef from the menu. Starters on our first night were Hake on Glencoe mussel risotto and Blade of Beef salad. But before our food arrived we were presented with a pre-starter as a gift from the kitchen of a small pot of fish soup.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hake on mussel risotto</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blade of beef salad</td></tr>
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For main courses we chose the monkfish wrapped in bacon with scallops (all local) and the pan fried breast and confit leg of Isle of Mull mallard.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isle of Mull Mallard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkfish and bacon</td></tr>
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For desert there was no option, but the Famous Hot Marmalade Pudding (gluten-free version made especially). And also the marinated pineapple with rosemary sorbet, cardamon biscuit, coconut ice cream and passion fruit jelly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Famous Hot Marmalade Pudding</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marinated pineapple</td></tr>
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The next night we decided to indulge in the seven course tasting menu with the matching "wine flight". It goes without saying that the "Seven Courses of Skye" special showcase menu was very special indeed, and all the wines matched perfectly. But something which we were very impressed with, even before any morsel passed our lips was the fact that there was no need to pre-order this menu. Perhaps, this is the norm at this kind of establishment, but we were impressed!<br />
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We were given a copy of the menu (to chart our progress) which was beautifully presented with a wax seal<br />
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The full menu had a couple of dishes which were not gluten free, but the waiter explained that everything was made from scratch so adjustments could be made, for example the scallop dish was with a gingerbread crust but the gluten-free version could be made with a hazelnut crust. There was only one dish on the menu that had to be substantially different. Of course, our opinions were sought on these options before they were cooked. Even the wine matches were adjusted!</div>
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To start we were given a small taste of fish soup with compliments of the kitchen, and the little cheese scones, sourdough crisps and smoked fish dip as before.<br />
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The starter, as listed on the menu was "Prawns" but in fact was "Loch Dunvegan Langoustines with Tattie Scones & Bridget's Organic Mesclun". The gluten-free version came without the tattie scones. </div>
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The "Smoked Fish" course was "Colbost Skink, Marag & Tallisker Crumb, Local Croft Egg Yolk". Colbost Skink is a play on Cullen Skink, as the fish was local, and the Tallisker crumb is a local name for the black pudding. This course was perhaps the most spectacular as the soup came in a small round dish with a lid which was lifted off by the waiting staff to release a wonderful plume of smoke.<br />
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The next course was "Crab" and again was another example of the excellent locally sourced seafood. It was "Loch Bracadale Crab 'Flory' with Green Apple, Nasturtium & Mull Truckle". We since learnt that the wonderfully tasty layer of jelly on top of the crab, was a seafood essence jelly, the concept of which seems so extravagant!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked Fish</td></tr>
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The "Oysters" course was the course that no adjustments could be made. This was "Loch Harport Oysters, Rare Black Isle Beef Sirloin, Mustard leaf, Pickled Onion, Parsley & Anchovy". The Oysters in this dish were breaded and fried. The gluten-free course was fresh Oysters with a cucumber relish, with creme fraiche and herring roe.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oysters</td></tr>
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It was the "Scallops" which came next. One with the gingerbread crust and the other with the hazelnut crust. The menu read "Sconser King Scallop with Gingerbread Crust, Parsnip, Sorrel & Quince".<br />
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The next course was "Venison". "Pan Fried Saddle & Slow Cooked Haunch of Lochalsh Venison with Jerusalem Artichoke, Red Cabbage, Beetroot & Blaeberries". This was one of the highlights of the meal for both of us.<br />
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We then opted for the cheese board as an additional course before the "Souffle". The "Cheese" course was a selection of "Highland Cheeses with Our Oatcakes", served with quince chutney and grapes. Then the "Three Chimneys Hot Marmalade Pudding Souffle with Drambuie Syrup & Mealie Ice Cream" finished off the meal.<br />
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<o:p>The showcase menu was fantastic. So many examples of the local produce cooked to perfection. Highlights for us was the Colbost Skink and the Venison. We were looking forward to trying some Scottish game as we were visiting while it was in season, and this exceeded our expectations. The Colbost Skink was rich and flavoursome, without the smokiness being overpowering. The Cheeses were also a highlight, and ever since then, we have been on a mission to find a similar sheep's milk brie. The wine matches completed the meal for us. We had some wines which we would have never chosen ourselves, and with each new glass, the waiter explained where it was from and how it would complement the food. We'd definitely recommend going for the showcase menu if ever presented with the option. The meal, the wine and the whole experience was fantastic.</o:p></div>
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<o:p>On our third night we decided to chose from the standard menu (is it really standard?). The only dilemma we found ourselves in was the wine choices. We had noted the expertise of the sommelier and really enjoyed the advice and explanations given to us about the wines so far so decided to let him guide us again. As Fran eventually chose the Malaig Lythe (Pollock to you and I) and I picked the lamb, this was deemed a suitable challenge for the evening's sommelier - which this time was Richard (they all seemed to be experts). As we were looking to match our wine for a 3 course meal, Richard first suggested ordering 2 half bottles - great idea. He also explained that as a restaurant they are very particular about which wines they stock in half bottles and that they were all superb. </o:p></div>
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<o:p>To find a wine that could match both white fish and lamb was a challenge and he did say a perfect match wasn't really possible but did come up with a fantastic suggestion of a Rhone Valley Crozes Hermitage and an Alsace Trimbach Pinot Blanc</o:p></div>
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<o:p>The Alsace was to go with the starters of Ham Terrine and Aubergine and Raisin Salad. The Rhone Valley was to go with the main courses of Steamed Lythe and Lamb with Lamb Haggis. I think the point of the Rhone Valley choice was that it was a white wine that was so deep it almost tasted red, therefore somehow able to complement a fish dish and a lamb dish. </o:p></div>
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<o:p> The starters were a bit different to what we would normally order. I enjoyed the Aubergine which was dramatic in it's presentation and fruity with an almost Moroccan feel to it.</o:p><br />
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Fran chose the Smoked Haddock and Ham Terrine, which is a dish I am more likely to order. That said, she assures me it was delicious and you can't really argue with a quails egg in any starter!<br />
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All the dishes were stunning in fact, especially the lamb which was rich and savoury, with the haggis so refined it was almost a light accompaniment but packed full of flavour. The fish was perfectly cooked, being flaky and light with a rich, buttery, fishy sauce.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lamb with Lamb Haggis</td></tr>
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We were very impressed with the wine recommendations and in fact the way in which they were recommended. Richard had highlighted a few choices which he thought would go with our food, but then he left it for us to decide by ourselves (I must admit the first thing I looked at was the price). This way we didn't feel under any pressure to go with something which could have been more than we wanted to pay.</div>
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For desert we had the Date Cake Soufflé and an Almond Genoise which were fantastic and the final cheeseboard of the trip which included the fabulously runny sheep's milk brie.</div>
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The last breakfast was another opportunity to take pictures of the stunning location. Very crisp and clear. We couldn't leave without trying the porridge with a wee dram, even though whisky isn't really our thing. The porridge was lovely and warming, perfectly accompanied by the sugar and cream. Still not sure about the whisky though, even if it was local Isle of Skye whisky. Sorry!<br />
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As we settled the bill and picked up a few souvenir postcards we had to ask how to tip. There was no pressure or mention of any tipping policy - again another point we noted. We felt that the restaurant staff in particular had made our stay more memorable and special in the way we felt looked after, catered for (with all the gluten-free goodies) and we felt that the very personal service we received from everyone with whom we'd had contact was second-to-none. We left a tip for the restaurant team which we added to the bill.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8369869845/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Menu by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="Menu" height="213" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8369869845_d592066bd2_m.jpg" width="159" /></a>As a parting gift we were presented with a selection of cakes (including gluten-free) for the long journey back to Manchester, and the promise that a signed menu of the seven-course meal by the kitchen staff would be sent on to us (Michael Smith was away when we stayed, cooking for Prince Albert of Monaco - we've since found out that Prince Albert ate a very similar menu to what we had enjoyed on our stay!). That menu is now framed and serves as a souvenir reminder of perhaps the best meal we've ever had.<br />
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The Three Chimneys most definitely deserves all its accolades in our opinion. The skill of the chefs, the locality of the ingredients, the luxury of the accommodation and the location truly all add up to a wonderful place to eat and stay. Just need to start saving up for an anniversary trip....</div>
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Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-41563152356337293692012-12-05T17:38:00.000+00:002012-12-05T17:38:04.941+00:00The Meat Crusade<br />
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<span style="font-family: Century Gothic, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This was sent to us and we thought it was a cause worth supporting</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">As the season of feasts approaches, The Meat Crusade is asking shoppers to support their butchers for life and not just for Christmas.</span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Going to the butcher is a part of preparing for Christmas that we all enjoy.</span></span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">There’s something satisfying about buying a turkey, ham or rib roast that feel<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1711273522193338140" name="_GoBack" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"></a>s special and gives you confidence that your family is getting something of exceptional quality for their Christmas dinner.<br /> </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.johnpenny.co.uk/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;" target="_blank">John Penny & Sons</a>' <span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">John Penny, Yorkshire Farmer and Meat Wholesaler, explains, “We all flock to the butcher at Christmas because we want the best we can buy for our family. We forget we can buy the best from the local butcher all year round. Visiting a good butcher shouldn’t be a once a year occasion, it should be a once a week routine.”<br /> </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“Butchers need your support now more than ever. If the decline continues, the High Street butcher will go the way of the fishmonger—only a handful of shops will remain and the art of butchery will be lost for generations.”<br /> </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">“That’s why The Meat Crusade wants shoppers to know that if we fail to support our butchers throughout the year, you might find that many won’t be able to open their doors next Christmas.” As the season of feasts approaches, The Meat Crusade is asking shoppers to support their butchers for life and not just for Christmas.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">The domination of the large faceless retail chains has already contributed to the considerable decline in butchers – there were approximately 22,000 high street butchers in the mid1980s. This fell to just 6,553 in 2010, according to Ed Bedington, Editor of the Meat Trades Journal.<br /> </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">John adds; “Consumers have the power to change demand for products but if we don’t step up to do the right thing, very shortly our purchasing choices could contribute to the disappearance of our high street butchers altogether.”</span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><br />Peter Buck of Hutchinson’s of Ripley, butcher for 55 years, says, “There’s no reason why customers shouldn’t be supporting butchers and purchasing quality meat from us all year round. There’s a perception that shopping at the supermarket is cheaper, but actually in many cases, butcher’s meat is better value as well as considerably better quality.<br /> </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">“We are encouraging shoppers to make a change – it is in their hands to ensure the high street butcher is here for future generations to enjoy. Don’t abandon the butcher; make it your New Year’s resolution to support them.”</span></span></h3>
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Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-91503971746796516102012-12-04T17:26:00.000+00:002012-12-04T17:26:10.340+00:00Hanoi Bike ShopFor a long time we knew we would head up to Skye for our honeymoon, however 'Manchester to Skye' is quite a journey to do in one leg so we got to thinking about a place to stop along the way. The most obvious choice to people I spoke to was Edinburgh, however that would mean drifting to the east when really we wanted to minimise the number of miles and stay west. So we thought, why not Glasgow?<br />
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We do enjoy visiting cities and it gives us a chance to go for a walkabout with not too much planned and just see where the night takes us.<br />
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As it was a Monday night though, we didn't want to be stuck as many restaurants it seems like to close on a Monday. So we pre-booked a table at a restaurant in the West End. The place looked great on the website but when we got to Glasgow we bought ourselves a travel card for the metro and went to find it. For us, it was just a little too far away from the hustle and bustle and with the great number of alternatives on offer nearer the station, we decided to cancel our booking.<br />
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While wondering back and popping into one of many charity shops along the route we happened across a wonderful discovery. <a href="http://www.thehanoibikeshop.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Hanoi Bike Shop</a> sits down a little street just opposite Hillhead Station on the Metro. It describes itself as a Vietnamese Canteen and sells street food(esque) dishes alongside some standard Vietnamese dishes. Having spent a fantastic holiday in Hanoi a few years ago we were very excited about this find. We peaked inside and it looked homely enough - obviously trying to re-create the street food feel but under cover, it is a canteen after all so I understand what they were trying to achieve. The only thought for us was whether it was quality enough to be our 1st honeymoon meal.<br />
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After much discussion, wandering past the menu in the window, more discussion.... looking at other places, wandering back again, we decided that as we were going to spend 3 nights in a very high-end dining establishment that is <a href="http://www.threechimneys.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Three Chimneys</a> then a more modest start to the holiday would be fine. And besides which, we didn't want to eat somewhere that we would immediately compare to the Three Chimneys - as that isn't fair on any restaurant.<br />
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After returning to the hotel to freshen up, we returned to rather fuller restaurant to that which we had looked at before. This was a very good sign for a Monday night. We asked for a table for 2 and were seated at a table near the counter complete with a selection of condiments such as fish sauce and chilli sauce destined for the Pho should we have ordered it.<br />
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We were told that the dishes listed as starters were suitable for sharing as part of a mini banquet which is how we wanted to eat. The dishes we ordered were great - although I fear we may have ordered more than we really needed but its best not to go wanting I suppose:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8240923313/" title="DSC05843 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05843" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8489/8240923313_47758ab0b9_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8240925829/" title="DSC05841 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05841" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8240925829_015c144051_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8240926969/" title="DSC05840 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05840" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8487/8240926969_44eb88f9a3_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8241995974/" title="DSC05839 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05839" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8241995974_ff18ea9f9a_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8241992400/" title="DSC05842 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05842" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8349/8241992400_8a495f6e17_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8241997312/" title="DSC05838 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05838" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8241997312_4350e8f490_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8241988794/" title="DSC05845 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05845" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8241988794_736f003ae6_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8240922165/" title="DSC05844 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05844" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8240922165_4683051fe1_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8242000120/" title="DSC05836 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC05836" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8348/8242000120_fa4b9cd294_q.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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From the top our dishes were; Bun Cha; Mustard Greens; Rare Beef and Kohlrabi salad; Coconut, Lemongrass and Lime leaf curry with Bike Shop Tofu, Aubergine and Potato; Pho Bo; Prawn Crackers and Peanut and Chilli dip; Orange Pannacotta-style dessert with Spiced Oranges; Vietnamese Drip Coffee.<br />
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We really enjoyed the experience and think that if you go you should do so with an open mind. There have been a lot of reviews that seem over critical on its authenticity. For us, we can understand what the proprietors are trying to achieve and think they have done well in introducing some fabulous food to a market that may not have experienced it before. The dishes are a little too refined to be street food and the drip coffee not quite strong enough compared with the drip coffee I once had sat on a little plastic chair down a back street in Hanoi!<br />
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Never the less, go there for the fun of it, the quality of food on offer and also the Hanoi Beer which is also delicious.<br />
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<br />Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-64163325459885607812012-11-29T09:51:00.001+00:002012-11-29T09:51:23.358+00:00Therssy's Village Black Pepper Mix<br />
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Following a long period away from the website - we now have a one year old daughter and 2 weeks ago got married! I think that can constitute as a busy time of our lives. We are now getting into a routine which sees both of us working full-time and Olivia in full-time nursery. </span><br />
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<span style="line-height: normal;">This might provide an opportunity to kick-start the blog which is what I intend to do.</span><br />
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<span style="margin: 0px;">As I just said, we recently got married and as Olivia is so young we chose not to take a long honeymoon. Instead we called on the services of nanna, grandpa and grandma, packed a couple of bags and headed North. We had a fantastic night in Glasgow visiting the fascinating <a href="http://www.thehanoibikeshop.co.uk/menus/" target="_blank">Hanoi Bike Shop</a>. Then we went even further North, onto the Isle of Skye, up to the North West of the Island for the main part of our holiday which was a 3 day break at the amazing <a href="http://www.threechimneys.co.uk/" target="_blank">Three Chimneys</a>. These wonderful places will each feature in their own post shortly.</span><br />
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First I wanted to share a little discovery with you. Fran had mentioned to me that if we ever visited Skye, we must go to Portree and find a place called <a href="http://www.skyebatiks.com/" target="_blank">Skye Batiks</a>. The website will tell you more but it wasn't the tie-dyed clothing Fran was interested in it was the Sri Lankan curry mixes they sell. Apparently they used to have a shop in York which is from where Fran hails and she had memories of a black pepper mix that she insisted I tried. Well we found the shop, bought a few items such as a hand crafted puffin for Olivia, but most importantly we found the curry mixes.<br />
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A couple of nights ago I tried using the Black Pepper Mix and I have to say it was fantastic. There is a recipe on the back of the packet which I followed very loosely. It suggests Chicken or Beef so I chose Turkey Thigh (frugality bites after paying for a wedding). Because of this I cooked the meat in stock to tenderise it before adding the coconut milk. Also, some of the other ingredients were changed slightly according to what was in the house, note the garlic! Here is exactly what I did:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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Therssy's Village Black Pepper Mix<br />
500g Turkey Thigh - diced<br />
2 Tomatoes - coarsely chopped<br />
2 Medium Onions<br />
1 Green Pepper<br />
1 large clove Elephant Garlic<br />
200 ml Coconut Milk<br />
1 tsp Crushed Garlic<br />
1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar<br />
250 ml Chicken Stock<br />
Vegetable Oil<br />
Salt (to taste)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29234687@N00/8226984958/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="DSC06537 by francescuthill, on Flickr"><img alt="DSC06537" height="150" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8207/8226984958_1a44f6437f.jpg" width="200" /></a>Add the curry mix to the meat, tomatoes, salt, vinegar and ginger and mix thoroughly.<br />
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Gently fry the onions, garlic and peppers until lightly browned.<br />
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Add the meat mixture and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes.<br />
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Add the coconut milk and simmer for a further 20 minutes. Serve with rice.<br />
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This curry mix was fantastic, not too spicy but with a warm pepper kick to it and a lovely sweet blend of cinnamon and cloves. I'm not very au fait with Sri Lankan food but this had an almost Moroccan feel about it - probably the use of the cinnamon that I found to be very moreish and I can't wait to try the other mixes we bought. I can see we will be ordering more from the website when we have finished these (which won't take long).</div>
Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-43706325957863328492012-07-23T08:26:00.001+01:002012-07-23T09:11:43.084+01:00Onion Bhaji<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I found this recipe on the Internet and think there are a few similar examples but loved it and thought I would share it with you. I tinkered a little bit with ingredient quantities and as I have tried it a few times now, I am fairly happy with the final version.<br />
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These bhajis are supposedly healthier as they are oven baked. I suppose they are a bit healthier than deep fried bhajis but there is still quite a bit of oil used which is important for the authentic taste. Anyway, I didn't cook them in an attempt to be healthy but rather a way of making our home cooked curries a little more interesting. It certainly worked as they are delicious.<br />
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To make 4 bhajis:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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3 medium onions (half chopped against the grain and half the other way)<br />
1.5 tablespoons of Gram Flour<br />
1 tablespoon tomato puree<br />
Ground Cumin<br />
Ground Coriander<br />
Chilli Powder<br />
Ground Ginger<br />
Ground Turmeric<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
Olive oil<br />
Butter (to grease the dish)<br />
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What to do:<br />
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First you need to make the onion mixture.<br />
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Gently fry the onions in a little olive oil for 10 minutes. Add half tsp of cumin, coriander, chilli and ginger. Add 1 tsp of turmeric. Continue to cook for a further 2 minutes and remove from the heat.<br />
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Next, mix the gram flour with half a tsp of cumin and half a tsp of coriander, salt and pepper.<br />
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Then, add the onion mixture to the flour, mix in the tomato puree and enough water to make the mixture wet but not sloppy so it can be shaped into a bhaji (2 or 3 tbl spoons). <br />
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Divide the mixture into 4 and place onto a buttered oven dish with a spoon. Flatten with the back of the spoon to make about 1 inch thick.<br />
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Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven (160 degrees c), brush with a little olive oil and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until golden brown. Trust me - you will never buy bhajis again.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-327774741295935452012-07-04T17:20:00.001+01:002012-07-04T17:22:46.525+01:00Jumbles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Its been a while, we know, but little people tend to take over lives, and what cooking we do is often something tried and tested, or a vegetable puree for little mouths, or just heating something up which we've batch-cooked previously. So in reality we have been cooking, but not so much that is interesting to write about!<br />
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However the other day, after wanting something quick and easy to snack on, I came over all Mary Berry. I felt the need to fill up the cake tins with lots of tasty home baked treats.<br />
I went off to the library in search of some baking books. I came across <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Book-Baking-ebook/dp/B00433SVOW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1341416691&sr=8-4" target="_blank">The Great British Book of Baking</a> which had so many recipes I wanted to try, I had to take it out.<br />
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The first recipe I tried was "Jumbles".<br />
The book gives a little write up about where the recipe came from and about how the "flavourings" can be adapted to suit whatever you have in the cupboard. I chose white chocolate chunks and chopped hazelnuts.<br />
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The picture above is actually of my second attempt at these biscuits, as yes, they are supposed to be biscuits. The recipe says to place a spoonful of the mixture onto a baking tray to cook, but either the use of a fan oven for baking is beyond me, or it is the gluten-free flour not acting as normal, or maybe even both, but they all joined together and ended up as a massive burnt offering which took a lot of perseverance with a spatula/chisel to get off the tray.<br />
The more successful batch (pictured) was produced by adding that spoonful to the bottom of a silicone muffin tray. They did end up more cakey, than biscuity, but this is not a complaint, as they were lovely and even though only temporarily, they did provide a filling for the cake tin.<br />
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Recipe (taken from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-British-Book-Baking-ebook/dp/B00433SVOW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1341416691&sr=8-4" target="_blank">The Great British Book of Baking</a><span style="background-color: white;">)</span><br />
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125g unsalted butter<br />
100g caster sugar<br />
50g light muscavado sugar<br />
1 medium free range egg<br />
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
175g plain flour<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking powder<br />
flavourings: up to 100g<br />
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Preheat oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5<br />
Gently melt the butter in a pan large enough to take all the ingredients. Remove from the heat and stir in both the sugars. Using a fork, beat the egg with the vanilla in a small bowl until thoroughly combined, then stir into the butter and sugar. Sift the flour and baking powder into the pan and stir in. When thoroughly combined add your chosen flavourings.<br />
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Using a tablespoon, scoop the mixture on to greased baking trays, setting the biscuits well apart to allow for spreading. Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, until the jumbles are a light golden brown colour and just firm.<br />
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Remove the trays from the oven and leave to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.<br />
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Store in an airtight container.<br />
<br />Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-46987464048963065652012-05-12T12:30:00.000+01:002012-05-12T12:30:26.836+01:00Dorowat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFIB7By1C9PfwxkPMTLFl3X71NPDcGTpSihFLWx-HOF5YhbM6sLuEYYfrlItaF5aKYCEVAmEMiMRzoyJvIDHaA6R5F4xw41S9VMh9XjW4q6AYyT5hv6BqTzoXvE82xIQsPMpaz-y7CQY/s1600/IMG_1483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFIB7By1C9PfwxkPMTLFl3X71NPDcGTpSihFLWx-HOF5YhbM6sLuEYYfrlItaF5aKYCEVAmEMiMRzoyJvIDHaA6R5F4xw41S9VMh9XjW4q6AYyT5hv6BqTzoXvE82xIQsPMpaz-y7CQY/s320/IMG_1483.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dorowat (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)</td></tr>
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Although it has been a while since we last posted, I can assure you we have been cooking. The pressure of having a very young child to take care of is taking it's toll and the blog is the one that has suffered. Mainly we have been cooking tried and tested recipes but every now and again we have searched for something a little different.<br />
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We have used the slow-cooker quite a lot recently too as it is good to prepare food during Olivia's morning snooze, hit the button and have tea ready 8 hours later. This recipe is an absolutely fantastic example that we found in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Most-Your-Slow-Cooker/dp/1844762300" target="_blank">Making the Most of Your Slow Cooker</a>. <br />
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We changed things only very slightly so this is basically the recipe as stated in the book:<br />
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Vegetable Oil<br />
3 Medium Onions (chopped)<br />
3 Garlic Cloves (chopped)<br />
1 tsp Minced Ginger<br />
200 ml Vegetable Stock<br />
250 ml Passata<br />
3 Hard Boiled Eggs<br />
6 Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs<br />
Salt and Pepper<br />
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<strong>Spice Mix (crushed and mixed)</strong><br />
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5 Cardamon Pods<br />
5 Cloves<br />
1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric<br />
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon<br />
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg<br />
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper<br />
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Method:<br />
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Pre-heat the slow cooker <br />
Cook the onions over a medium heat for about 10 minutes<br />
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes<br />
Add the stock and passata and cook for a further 10 minutes till thickened a little<br />
Add the spice mix and stir through and season<br />
Transfer the sauce to the slow cooker and add the chicken thighs whole and push them down to just be submerged.<br />
Cook on medium for 5 hours<br />
Add the boiled eggs and cook for a further hour<br />
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We had this served with rice and flat breads and thought it was fantastic. It had a lovely dark colour and a sweet and spicy flavour with just enough heat. The boiled eggs was a new one on us but it seemed to work well. In fact we enjoyed this dish so much we might do a little research into Ethiopean cuisine and see what delights we can discover.<br />
<br />Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-47447429934124609572012-04-01T11:34:00.001+01:002012-04-01T11:36:06.297+01:00Kashmiri Butter Fish<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMHUHHAXcGGoHmM_s7WS9kvnirjFwbcqUHbk6SnB_85Mn225KTfVOPTNVZJ6wqdeGMV6hW2kxpAaE4bAWgaAIo_x55soSbEMvaoEmtPO5-JvudZIXsnUR4exB9XoPCpgHfm8F-2FnFNs/s1600/IMG_1167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWMHUHHAXcGGoHmM_s7WS9kvnirjFwbcqUHbk6SnB_85Mn225KTfVOPTNVZJ6wqdeGMV6hW2kxpAaE4bAWgaAIo_x55soSbEMvaoEmtPO5-JvudZIXsnUR4exB9XoPCpgHfm8F-2FnFNs/s320/IMG_1167.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kashmiri Butter Fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This was a fantastic dish I created after making a Kashmiri Butter Chicken in the slow cooker. The original recipe comes from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Slow-Cooker-Delicious-Recipes/dp/0600618951/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333276138&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Ultimate Slow Cooker</a>. From this I used the idea of creating the sauce seperate from the meat and pureeing the onions in order to get the right consistency. This is not a new idea for us as it is the way we make curry sauce <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/curry-secret.html" target="_blank">"curry secret"</a> style.<br />
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When preparing the sauce for the chicken I thought it would work perfectly for cooking fish. This is because I could spend the time getting the sauce just right and then add the fish just for 10 minutes till cooked. I also decided to add a little chilli powder to the spice mix as it seemed to be lacking a little in heat.<br />
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So that is what I did. This recipe can be easily adapted by making the sauce and pouring over whole fillets and baking in the oven in order to keep the fish whole. On this occasion I cut up a couple of fillets of Coley into chunks and cooked them for 10 minutes at the end which worked perfecly well too.<br />
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Here is how I did it:<br />
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Ingredients:<br />
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white Fish (such as Coley)<br />
30g butter<br />
3tbsp double cream<br />
2 medium onions<br />
3 cloves of garlic<br />
chunk of fresh ginger (2 inch)<br />
2tbsp tomato puree/paste<br />
half pint chicken stock<br />
1tbsp demerera sugar<br />
salt and pepper<br />
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Spice Mix:<br />
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1tsp paprika<br />
1tsp turmeric<br />
1tsp fennel seeds<br />
1tsp whole cumin<br />
1/2 tsp chilli powder<br />
5 cardamon pods<br />
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
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Method:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabEMRDc4rwZ6TF90WAs8NIpE5-hTzz1mm3uGjYGmWDulTCf9fxEaDlLbxRLoyV7LifqMdYCLN-HTqP8DWmrX4MO1Ji9fZRd9_QVWntHfMJs_m-yWSaWhPgwQZSrCorDYH3USEwWLg0FE/s1600/IMG_1164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabEMRDc4rwZ6TF90WAs8NIpE5-hTzz1mm3uGjYGmWDulTCf9fxEaDlLbxRLoyV7LifqMdYCLN-HTqP8DWmrX4MO1Ji9fZRd9_QVWntHfMJs_m-yWSaWhPgwQZSrCorDYH3USEwWLg0FE/s200/IMG_1164.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>Blitz the onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor.<br />
Heat the butter in a large pan or wok and add the onion puree.<br />
Cook on a medium heat till just beginning to colour (about 15 mins)<br />
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Add the sugar, tomato puree and chicken stock, season and cook for a further 10 minutes.<br />
Add the chopped fish and cook for a further 10 minutes. Take off the heat and add the cream and serve.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-8013171191495660792012-03-19T21:28:00.000+00:002012-03-19T21:28:42.709+00:00St Petersburg, ManchesterNot knowing much about Russian cuisine, I was rather excited and intrigued when a friend invited me out for a meal at <a href="http://www.russiancuisine.co.uk/" target="_blank">St Petersburg</a> restaurant in Manchester. She had bought a Groupon which was needing to be spent, so it was a week night that we went.<br />
The limits of the voucher meant that we could only choose from the Duke Stroganoff <a href="http://www.russiancuisine.co.uk/menu/tsar/spb_summeroffers2.pdf" target="_blank">Menu</a> between certain (early) times, but a quick look on the website showed us that this didn't appear to be very restrictive at all! <br />
The menu had lots of exciting things to choose from, and the decision, for me anyway, could have been a lot harder if I was eating wheat. There were a few pancake options called Blini, which sounded great, but alas not for me. Maybe I'll do some research into the various recipes and try and re-create them at home.<br />
I chose the Sveklas So Slivamy to start, which, according to the menu was a Russian mixed vegetable salad. and my friend chose the Schee - a sour cabbage soup.<br />
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The salad was fresh and creamy and seemed to consist mainly of beetroot and walnuts, and was rather like coleslaw. The portion was rather substantial, but this isn't a complaint, as it was lovely. Again, the soup was rather large, but very tasty. The only thing that was slightly disappointing was the accompaniment of those shop-bought bread rolls.<br />
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For the main course I chose the Miasnie Kotelty which were apparently "Russian Style juicy beef mincemeat rissoles (I'm never sure what a rissole actually is) served with a spicy sauce or sauce of your choice". I didn't get a choice of sauce, but spicy is always fine with me.<br />
My friend chose the Pelmeni Sibirskie - beef and pork pelmeni (Russian style ravioli), served with fresh herbs and butter and a sauce of your choice. Again, not sure if there was a choice of sauce, but it came with a sour cream dip and some hot chilli sauce.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZtvG6GsQhSoe-Fj4CVZeN6F457BTtM0yZHkplATXiocE2tFOuvY-P7Wtm7L-Igq0Gsp66r7pQhS0zpZYdIOUv-OWAzLcXiKpWiM0ECDZ4MwOvbnXIVhQ2epNcvnAsHPuMvkff6yTD1o/s1600/IMG_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZtvG6GsQhSoe-Fj4CVZeN6F457BTtM0yZHkplATXiocE2tFOuvY-P7Wtm7L-Igq0Gsp66r7pQhS0zpZYdIOUv-OWAzLcXiKpWiM0ECDZ4MwOvbnXIVhQ2epNcvnAsHPuMvkff6yTD1o/s200/IMG_0051.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4dWuVP9FCzIgvbY7xxilcauB94FnYXWlu9RvsmsYzvb5LY76RXC9Ak0PMZTOKJz7aLgr22sZikOEKQG0l5eT6kj12Gqx5f0sezqbW4AU5aq-SXHC4RB2tXAkniWvuVZt_eKVs3jDgZI/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4dWuVP9FCzIgvbY7xxilcauB94FnYXWlu9RvsmsYzvb5LY76RXC9Ak0PMZTOKJz7aLgr22sZikOEKQG0l5eT6kj12Gqx5f0sezqbW4AU5aq-SXHC4RB2tXAkniWvuVZt_eKVs3jDgZI/s200/IMG_0050.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
The beef rissoles were very juicy, and were covered in a rich creamy sauce. I loved the fact that the chips were homemade (are things homemade when made in a restaurant? - but you know what I mean) and the chilli sauce added a bit of heat. The salad garnish was fresh, but a little basic. I believe that the ravioli wasn't what was expected, but tasty and filling.<br />
<br />
We opted for ice cream and the gateau of the day (chocolate) to finish off.<br />
<br />
By this time, it was late in the evening, and the restaurant was now full. So obviously the restaurant is popular outside of the vouchers! We thought that the food was very good, and the choice of wine was good too, but we're not sure that we would pay full price. I suppose that's the danger with Groupon etc. They do get you into the restaurants to try to food and sample the atmosphere, but somehow you do think twice about going back without the discounts. Or is that just me being tight?! Actually, yes it is - the prices are not that expensive!<br />
We found the service very good too, and although there are a few things that seem to be lost in translation on the menu, and many words which require concentration to pronounce, this all added to the fun. I think we will go back, just maybe when there's another offer....<br />
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</div><b><span style="font-size: small;"></span></b><span style="font-size: small;"></span>Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-86739441999175265252012-03-14T11:09:00.000+00:002012-03-14T11:09:37.087+00:00Vegetable and Blue Cheese Crumble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuncG_NPTvObuMvCW9VptHeid3vvdEv_Lu4DTcNPlOM-I_wrBqeKvHp_lhryppC_FQxdeSQeXCK0GKOzHViEvT5opNjWp10uFUioh0gPwFmT7KBCPSGN9_bAI1XDzP-KLS06OZ5aBzbo/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuncG_NPTvObuMvCW9VptHeid3vvdEv_Lu4DTcNPlOM-I_wrBqeKvHp_lhryppC_FQxdeSQeXCK0GKOzHViEvT5opNjWp10uFUioh0gPwFmT7KBCPSGN9_bAI1XDzP-KLS06OZ5aBzbo/s320/IMG_1303.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>A couple of years ago, while I was eating wheat and all things bread, I ate what was a lovely meal in a pub in Tintagel, Cornwall. The trip was full of lovely culinary experiences. A traditional cream tea, a fantastic Nepalese curry, and of course the fabulous traditional Cornish pasty. Most of which are a little more difficult for me to eat now....<br />
We were camping in Tintagel, and many evenings were spent eating out. Mostly at the pub in the village, where we almost worked our way through the menu. The dish that stuck in my mind was the veggie dish of Vegetable and Stilton Crumble.<br />
<br />
We've recently been given a bag of dried gluten-free breadcrumbs, and since I am once again allowed to eat blue cheeses, I thought I'd have a go at re-creating this dish.<br />
The amounts can be varied depending on your preferences or what you have in your fridge. Also, the amount of blue cheese can be varied depending on how cheesy you like things.<br />
We served it with chips and peas, in true pub food style. Yum!<br />
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<br />
1 large leek, chopped<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
2 carrots, chopped<br />
Half a broccoli, broken into florets<br />
Half a cauliflower, broken into florets<br />
200g blue cheese, crumbled<br />
Half pint milk<br />
Tablespoon flour<br />
25g butter<br />
Handful of breadcrumbs<br />
25g grated Parmesan<br />
<br />
1. Gently fry the onion and leek until soft.<br />
2. Boil the broccoli, cauliflower and carrots until tender.<br />
3. Mix all the vegetables together in a large bowl or pan.<br />
4. Make a white sauce by first melting the butter in a pan. Stir in the flour, and then add the milk bit by bit, stirring continuously. When the sauce has thickened, stir in the blue cheese until melted, and season to taste.<br />
5. Stir the cheese sauce through all the veg and spread in am ovenproof dish. <br />
6. Mix the breadcrumbs with the Parmesan and sprinkle evenly over the veg.<br />
7. Bake at 180C for about 20 mins or until the topping is golden.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-84415135659657021982012-01-27T15:33:00.000+00:002012-01-27T15:33:56.172+00:00Creamy Tomato and Chicken Stew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgs8adegiIimeBrGC-ef_sY-nBBcgNzgc-KAPfbua-hroWSS1Bwm5mp4WG3boy667SZPtxACeXB9xzR_acVbcBt9dx2OYcoJtsLDAhANxpBOvFb99X3PJqPiNBtP0jWtszsOurtPZqjgI/s1600/IMG_1109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgs8adegiIimeBrGC-ef_sY-nBBcgNzgc-KAPfbua-hroWSS1Bwm5mp4WG3boy667SZPtxACeXB9xzR_acVbcBt9dx2OYcoJtsLDAhANxpBOvFb99X3PJqPiNBtP0jWtszsOurtPZqjgI/s320/IMG_1109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Another recent "freezer food" dish we have made a couple of times since the new addition to our family is the Creamy Tomato and Chicken Stew from the fantastic Soups Stews and Mash book.<br />
Grandma actually introduced us to this dish when she brought round a meal for us in the first week that Olivia was home. She had modified the recipe slightly with the addition of potatoes and peas so that we wouldn't have to cook accompaniments. We have since made this recipe a couple of times, and it does freeze well and is delicious. <br />
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A quick word about the book: It was Grandma who introduced us to this book a while ago and we've since blogged the <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2010/08/beef-and-peppercorn-stew.html" target="_blank">Beef and Peppercorn Stew.</a> This book is fantastic. It has the look of an old-fashioned book, but it was actually published in 2000. It also seems that it is no longer available (on amazon anyway), but we managed to get hold of a second hand copy via ebay. Some of the recipes are quite adventurous, using different ingredients, and combinations that are not automatically thought of. The mash section is particularly inspiring. Instead of either plain mash, or sweet potato mash, there are recipes for pumpkin and white bean puree, swede and orange mash to name a couple. There is also a section of different breads to compliment the soup section.<br />
<br />
Anyway, on to the recipe - taken straight from the book.<br />
<br />
4 rashers bacon<br />
2 tbsp oil<br />
50g butter<br />
300g small button mushrooms, halved<br />
1.5kg chicken pieces<br />
2 onions, chopped<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
400g can tomatoes<br />
1 cup/250ml chicken stock<br />
1 cup/250ml cream<br />
2 tbsp chopped parsley<br />
2 tbsp lemon thyme leaves<br />
<br />
1. Chop the bacon into large pieces. Place a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Brown the bacon, then remove and set aside on paper towels.<br />
2. Heat half the oil and a third of the butter in the pan until foaming, then stir in the mushrooms and cook until softened and golden brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.<br />
3. Add the remaining oil to the pan with a little more butter. When the oil is hot, brown the chicken pieces in batches over a high heat until the skin is golden all over and a little crisp. Remove from the pan.<br />
4. Heat the remaining butter in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Pour in the tomatoes, stock and cream. Return the bacon, mushrooms and chicken pieces to the pan and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 minutes. Stir in the herbs, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes before serving.<br />
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We generally use boneless and skinless chicken thighs rather than chicken pieces, and use either a mixture of herbs (dried or fresh) or normal thyme from the garden. The potatoes and peas (or any other beg you like really) can be added along with returning the mushrooms, chicken and bacon to the pan. <br />
We do this that the way the recipe instructions read is a little faffy. Why does everything need to be cooked separately and removed from the pan. For time purposes it is much easier to cook the chicken separately, then cook the veg and bacon together, it might take a little longer but allows us to nip out of the kitchen. Not actually sure if the way the method suggests adds anything to the flavour, but it could well do?<br />
And we've eaten this just by itself with a spoon to slurp us the delicious sauce, or it could be served with an exciting mash, or crusty bread. <br />
This recipe was even appreciated by Nana, who is well-known within the family for not liking things with too much spice, herb, garlic, onion, pepper, or translated as "flavour"!Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-90241960479460986162012-01-22T12:03:00.000+00:002012-01-22T12:03:48.554+00:00Lamb and Mint Casserole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtKu2nP3btCO3MG9-cbfn4BxSkETxNb7j76Nx3ATk4LHi5wlYVVYgiOmOwodk-SjkIjTBgzefv0yfzZkkT1XP5wNt2wTuPDCO7mxEuxLJF5VJlElSba2E7H7wl4ehqSswhUTYImFDY-M/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUtKu2nP3btCO3MG9-cbfn4BxSkETxNb7j76Nx3ATk4LHi5wlYVVYgiOmOwodk-SjkIjTBgzefv0yfzZkkT1XP5wNt2wTuPDCO7mxEuxLJF5VJlElSba2E7H7wl4ehqSswhUTYImFDY-M/s320/IMG_1090.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This Lamb and Mint Casserole is another one pot meal of recent times. Again made in bulk with some left over to freeze for another time.<br />
It is based on a pub meal I had some time ago, and the flavours stuck with me.<br />
The dish is relatively inexpensive, if you can fnd lamb at a reasonable price. We actually asked the butcher for "enough for 4 people" which was about 500g, and he cubed up some lamb leg for us, but since this is slow-cooked a cheaper cut could be used.<br />
The quantities can be adjusted to suit your liking. I personally like it a little more minty, but for the general population, I'd stick to just a couple of spoonfuls of mint sauce. Plus this time, we'd only got a glass of red wine to go in, so I upped the amount of stock to a pint, and used 2 stock cubes (and no extra seasoning).<br />
This could probably be done in the slow cooker, with an adjustment to the liquid, but working out the quantities would require a little more brain power than we have at the moment! <br />
I hadn't made this casserole for a while, but will do it more often now, since it was met with the exclamation "This is well nice!"<br />
<br />
500g diced lamb<br />
1 small bottle red wine<br />
3/4 pint lam stock<br />
250g mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size<br />
1 large onion, chopped<br />
2-3 desert spoons mint sauce<br />
flour<br />
olive oil<br />
<br />
1. Fry the onion and mushrooms with a little olive oil in a large oven proof pan/casserole until softened.<br />
2. Coat the lamb in flour and add this to the pan. Fry for a little while to colour.<br />
3. Add the wine, stock and mint sauce to the pan and stir well.<br />
4. Cover, and cook at about 160C for 2 - 2.5 hours, stirring every so often. I uncovered the casserole for the last half hour to thicken the sauce. Serve with mash or crusty bread and veg. (or like us, mashed veg - yum!)Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-87111754226335686782012-01-06T15:55:00.000+00:002012-01-06T15:55:20.685+00:00New Year, New FamilyHappy New Year - a little late!<br />
<br />
We've had an exciting and busy 2011, a house move, threat of redundancy, and most importantly the arrival of Olivia Rachel.<br />
<br />
We've also eaten some notable dishes, from our first try of haggis on a camping holiday to Scotland to our discovery of the lemon chilli chicken served at the excellent <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/01/mozaic-cafe-and-delicatessen-ashton-u.html" target="_blank">Mozaic Cafe</a>, and a fantastic meal at the <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/05/lamb-inn-chinley.html" target="_blank">Lamb Inn</a>, as well as a couple of outings to one of our favourite restaurants: <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/07/kantipur-nepalese-restaurant-stockport.html" target="_blank">Kantipur</a>.We've also cooked some favourites this year including <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/02/real-carbonara.html" target="_blank">Carbonara</a> (which I can now have again since having to give up undercooked eggs!), various curries from the excellent <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/05/curry-secret.html" target="_blank">Curry Secret</a> book and revived the old <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-nana-used-to-make.html" target="_blank">recipes</a> of our grandmothers of raspberry buns and cornflake cakes. We've even experimented with homemade <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/11/souper-mix.html" target="_blank">preserves</a> as gifts this Christmas - more about those to come.<br />
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Our predictions for 2012, food-wise, are less of the "Eat Out" and more of the "Eat In" and more one-pot dishes that can be frozen, or re-heated easily. And much greater use of the slow cooker. Also at some point over the next year our kitchen will no doubt be full of various purees all ready for a little mouth!<br />
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Our New Years Eve was a quiet one. We all stayed up to see the new year in, but I guess Olivia thought it was just a normal day/night! We ate a rather lovely baked Camembert with garlic, thyme and white wine (baked in our new cheese baker which was a Christmas present), along with a rather special bottle of <a href="http://www.camelvalley.com/" target="_blank">Camel Valley</a> sparkling pinot noir which we had been saving for a special occasion. What better way to see out what was perhaps the most memorable and special years of our lives.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-18984661450571015282012-01-02T15:37:00.002+00:002012-01-02T15:41:57.063+00:00Pork with Paprika and OlivesFor those of you who know us, you'll know that we received a special delivery on 26th of November 2011. The arrival of Olivia Rachel is the main reason why we haven't been posting for a while.<br />
We've changed the way we're eating over the past month, depending a lot on one pot meals that can be prepared quickly, slow cooker meals or casseroles or things that will freeze well. The next few posts will be of the meals we've cooked that seem to freeze well, and are easy to prepare, the first of which is Pork with Paprika and Olives. <br />
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We spotted this recipe in the January edition of Good Food magazine and was an advertisement feature for Magners.<br />
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Recipe (taken straight from Good Food magazine) (as is the picture, due to my camera being police evidence following a break in, but that's another story)<br />
Serves 4<br />
<br />
500g/1lb 2oz diced pork leg or shoulder<br />
1 red onion cut into thin wedges<br />
2 garlic cloves, crushed<br />
100g/4oz chorizo, cut into chunks<br />
1 tsp smoked paprika<br />
400g can chopped tomatoes<br />
300ml/half pint chicken stock<br />
400g can chickpeas<br />
100g/4oz green olives, drained and rinsed<br />
zest and juice of 1 lemon<br />
small bunch parsley, chopped<br />
crusty bread to serve<br />
<br />
1. Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Season pork. heat a little olive oil in a large flameproof dish. add the pork and brown all over. Remove from dish and set aside. dd the onion and garlic to the dish, and cook until softened. Add the chorizo and paprika, and cook for 2 mins, then add the tomatoes and stock, along with the pork.<br />
2. Cover with a lid, put in the oven and cook for 1 hour. Add the chickpeas and olives, and cook for 1 hour more. Stir in the lemon and parsley, and serve with crusty bread.<br />
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This dish is one of our current favourites. The flavour is rich with the tomatoes and chorizo, yet fresh and zingy with the addition of the olives and lemon. Plus being pork, it offers excellent value for money, especially when supermarkets have different offers on meat over the holidays! We serve it with a little rice, and sometimes a bit of green veg. We have found that is does freeze well, but don't really know how long it will keep in the freezer, as once we know it is in there, it doesn't stay there for long!Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-20513591256686837812011-11-24T16:15:00.000+00:002011-11-24T16:15:16.170+00:00Pecan Pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut91ATlCv461aF_fFoaQDAv1HiPBIvP_Ws20E7Jy-9Y9viJPh4-J0g6aBeKlZQrP9UYtd6xXy1FsJlU0Wauec67lkz4QXwdZwtG3no0xP199g2yzDkoyNuJpaT9ZoEvs8J9MLBw_53U0/s1600/DSC04780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhut91ATlCv461aF_fFoaQDAv1HiPBIvP_Ws20E7Jy-9Y9viJPh4-J0g6aBeKlZQrP9UYtd6xXy1FsJlU0Wauec67lkz4QXwdZwtG3no0xP199g2yzDkoyNuJpaT9ZoEvs8J9MLBw_53U0/s320/DSC04780.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy Thanksgiving too all our American friends!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And to celebrate from over here I had a go at a Pecan Pie from an American recipe. This recipe for Pecan Pie was actually given to us along with some other American favourites by our friend, Bonnie, who we met on our travels to <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2011/07/canadian-food.html" target="_blank">Canada</a>. I'd wanted to try making Pumpkin Pie in time for Thanksgiving, but it seems that many recipes call for canned pumpkin, and by the time I'd found one for fresh pumpkin there were no more pumpkins available in the shops. It seems they magically disappear from the supermarkets as soon as Halloween is over!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Looking up a bit of info about traditional Thanksgiving menus it seems that Pecan Pie can feature, but as a less obvious choice than Pumpkin Pie. So thought this was the ideal time to try out the recipe.</div><br />
I'd also cut a couple of corners, and took this opportunity to try the newly discovered <a href="http://www.dietaryspecials.co.uk/" target="_blank">Dietary Specials</a> ready made frozen <a href="http://www.dietaryspecials.co.uk/gluten-free-products/our-products/frozen-other/shortcrust-pastry/" target="_blank">shortcrust pastry</a>.<br />
The pastry itself seemed to work well, as expected was rather crumbly - but normal shortcrust is. Obviously the convenience of the pastry is fantastic, but at the price of £2.50 for 2x 200g amounts I might continue to make my own pastry unless I'm in a rush.<br />
<br />
Back to the Pecan Pie. The recipe below is taken from Betty Crocker's cookbook 1989, via Bonnie Safyurtlu of California. And we've attempted to translate the quantities and ingredients to British equivalents. <br />
The recipe didn't indicate whether the pastry should be baked blind or not. Bonnie had sent us through the recipe for the pastry too, but it didn't say there either. So I opted not to. It would have actually benefited from baking first as the pastry at the bottom didn't seem to cook too well. Also, we don't have a 9-inch tin, so it all went in a slightly smaller one. This meant that the nuts floated to the top for the mixture and the pie was deeper than it should be. Overall the pie was very very nice indeed and I will certainly do it again, next time probably after investing in a larger pie plate.<br />
<br />
Pastry for a 9-inch one-crust pie<br />
2/3 cup (150g) sugar<br />
1/3 (75g) cup margarine or butter, melted<br />
1 cup (340g) corn syrup (golden syrup)<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
3 eggs<br />
1 cup pecan halves or broken pieces (we used slightly more - 100g)<br />
<br />
1. Heat oven to 375F (190C).<br />
2. Prepare pastry.<br />
3. Beat sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt and eggs with a hand beater.<br />
4. Stir in the pecans<br />
5. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.<br />
6. Bake until set. 40-50 mins. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-54900924329966200672011-11-20T15:30:00.000+00:002011-11-20T15:30:16.451+00:00Souper Mix<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XEkp0h0cH5J_WVFRmkrkgoDkjAK6XFdwXHo3tHfAqY-OhFxCeOpzjklz9lraquMVauYjj5Sm_28ulZ-_O96BpSWZUtZ516c-RH_W5BOObTl2K0MYVE5LlwdYH-8Clsfco1zzP8V7NpI/s1600/DSC04776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XEkp0h0cH5J_WVFRmkrkgoDkjAK6XFdwXHo3tHfAqY-OhFxCeOpzjklz9lraquMVauYjj5Sm_28ulZ-_O96BpSWZUtZ516c-RH_W5BOObTl2K0MYVE5LlwdYH-8Clsfco1zzP8V7NpI/s320/DSC04776.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Souper Mix</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Here is a great idea if you like to use your own stock in your cooking but find it a chore to make it for specific recipes. Even if you make a batch of stock it still needs freezing which means using up valuable space. We found this in the River Cottage Handbook No2; <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserves-River-Cottage-Handbook-No-2/dp/0747595321/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321801388&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Preseves, by Pam Corbin</a>. This book is fantastic and has been a real godsend for us as we have made Christmas Hampers for family and friends this year. <br />
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This particular mix has gone into one or two hampers for those that like to cook. The benefit to making stock this way is that in it's preserved form it lasts for up to 6 months and by my calculations a standard jar could could make nearly 20 litres of stock! <br />
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Here are the ingredients as stated in the book:<br />
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250g Leek<br />
200g Fennel<br />
200g Carrot<br />
250g Celeriac<br />
50g Sun-dried Tomatoes<br />
2-3 Cloves of Garlic<br />
100g Parsley<br />
100g Coriander<br />
250g Salt<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXolTRkaOOtt79s3dH3L940kfpd20tR-llQvTVuwg6wMlEjwtO-SQ9Uz2q6bIklbC1L6znHb6VxJs204dUH5-4NnMhYpZsZCrrzLFhN88hsh82A8XntR9RRQPaL6tUEBw5IImf5_vYqw/s1600/DSC04768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXolTRkaOOtt79s3dH3L940kfpd20tR-llQvTVuwg6wMlEjwtO-SQ9Uz2q6bIklbC1L6znHb6VxJs204dUH5-4NnMhYpZsZCrrzLFhN88hsh82A8XntR9RRQPaL6tUEBw5IImf5_vYqw/s1600/DSC04768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXolTRkaOOtt79s3dH3L940kfpd20tR-llQvTVuwg6wMlEjwtO-SQ9Uz2q6bIklbC1L6znHb6VxJs204dUH5-4NnMhYpZsZCrrzLFhN88hsh82A8XntR9RRQPaL6tUEBw5IImf5_vYqw/s200/DSC04768.JPG" width="150" /></a>All that is needed is to blitz everything in a large food processor. You may need to do it in batches but if you do make sure you mix it well afterwards by returning it to the blender once the volume is reduced through the processing. You should be left with a moist, granular paste. Spoon the mixture into sterilised jars and seal with vinegar-proof lids. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.<br />
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To use the souper mix, stir 2 teaspoons with 500ml of hot water.<br />
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TIP - to sterilise the jars, wash in hot soapy water, rinse and dry in a low oven. Fill and seal as soon as possible from removing from the oven.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-90611986456771263042011-11-13T17:56:00.000+00:002011-11-13T17:56:52.531+00:00Doughnuts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-9qBsyrm5V7GnrMgK00dlEi2DalNShrXZuYwuz1KxVQwCG40Dd4zn0KB6J9FfADahG4dz9Y_onClVHA0cMFHG9Qj1jnL-fVLaVDnitBfFy6aVmlxK7-1tOFvA28foUx9V8rY_sTzOeg/s1600/DSC04534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-9qBsyrm5V7GnrMgK00dlEi2DalNShrXZuYwuz1KxVQwCG40Dd4zn0KB6J9FfADahG4dz9Y_onClVHA0cMFHG9Qj1jnL-fVLaVDnitBfFy6aVmlxK7-1tOFvA28foUx9V8rY_sTzOeg/s320/DSC04534.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A while ago I was feeling the need for lots of sweet things, and as we know most cakes/pastries/desserts are a no-go if you need gluten free. It was the September issue of delicious magazine that caught my eye. I was actually fancying a go at making doughnuts, then the magazine came out with mini doughnuts on the cover! After a quick look through the recipe I thought I'd give it a go, substituting the strong white bread flour, for Doves Farm gluten-free bread flour to see how it would go.<br />
The recipe was easy to follow, but for just two of us there seemed to be a lot. This is an issue I have with the yeast sachets rather than the recipe though. I couldn't accurately halve the yeast to reduce the quantity, so I made the full amount.<br />
I made mini doughnuts rather than full sized and half dusted with sugar and half dusted with cinnamon sugar, and both were delicious, especially when still warm. I didn't attempt to pipe the jam into the doughnuts as I thought it would be rather fiddly.<br />
One thing I did notice was that they seemed to go stale quite quickly, whether this is because they're best eaten straight away, or something to do with the flour, but halved, with a bit of whipped cream and jam in the middle, this wasn't a problem!<br />
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Recipe (taken straight from delicious magazine)<br />
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200g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting<br />
50g chilled unsalted butter, diced<br />
7g sachet dried fast action yeast<br />
4 tbsp caster sugar<br />
1 medium egg, beaten<br />
100ml whole milk, heated to lukewarm<br />
Sunflower oil for deep frying, plus extra for greasing the bowl<br />
4 tbsp raspberry jam<br />
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1. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips. Stir through the yeast and 1 tbsp of the sugar, then make a well in the centre. Mix the egg with the lukewarm milk and pour into the well. Mix quickly and bring together to make a soft dough.<br />
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2. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for minutes or until silky smooth. Put in a very lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.<br />
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3. Dived the dough into 12 evenly sized pieces and shape these into smooth balls. Do this by pinching the dough on top, rolling the bottom on a smooth surface, then turning them over so the pinch is on the bottom. Place them, spaced well apart, on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then loosely cover with a sheet of greased cling film. Leave for 45 minutes in a warm place until doubled in size again.<br />
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4. Heat the sunflower oil in a large deep pan to a temperature of 190C. Carefully lower the doughnuts into the hot oil using a slotted spoon, in batches of 2 or 3. Fry for 30 seconds on each side until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.<br />
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5. While the doughnuts are still warm, spoon the jam into a disposable piping bag or sheet of baking paper rolled into a cone. Make a little slit in the side of each doughnut with the tip of a small sharp knife, then squeeze a little jam into the centre.<br />
6. Roll the jam-filled doughnuts gently in the remaining caster sugar to coat them completely or dust well using a dredger. Serve warm or allow to cool.Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1711273522193338140.post-73634759243074445392011-10-31T11:59:00.000+00:002011-10-31T11:59:53.016+00:00The Three FishesWe'd been meaning to go to <a href="http://www.thethreefishes.com/">The Three Fishes</a>, one of the <a href="http://www.ribblevalleyinns.com/">Ribble Valley Inns</a>, for a while now. Actually we were inspired to try one of the Inns after our <a href="http://eatouteatin.blogspot.com/2010/11/northcote-and-tomato-consomme.html">visit</a> to <a href="http://www.northcote.com/">Northcote</a> a couple of years ago. Our recent visit to The Three Fishes was prompted by my cousin who had moved to the area, and had visited there a few times. We were looking for somewhere to join her for Sunday lunch, and on the bright autumnal day, we thought a drive up to Mitton would be nice.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pcesLU1eADC42qRwvaCTOsmA89suluvKzDtmjcUD3KIRIoBpHxeLrhBN4yA3Kz-YRP0p8gSpf7CpKlMMpzH-fTMQCVAtjT-R3SWn4w1BaiKSvM7jnKAOCRuyiDfjGs0DJ1Ii7ClIR0k/s1600/DSC04509.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4pcesLU1eADC42qRwvaCTOsmA89suluvKzDtmjcUD3KIRIoBpHxeLrhBN4yA3Kz-YRP0p8gSpf7CpKlMMpzH-fTMQCVAtjT-R3SWn4w1BaiKSvM7jnKAOCRuyiDfjGs0DJ1Ii7ClIR0k/s320/DSC04509.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The pub does not take bookings for small groups so we arrived earlyish to ensure a seat. At around 12:30, the pub was quite busy, but we were seated straight away. With a couple of real ales ordered from the bar we had a look through the <a href="http://www.thethreefishes.com/real-food.htm">menu</a>. I thought about phoning ahead to ask about gluten-free options, but didn't on this occasion, but when asked the waitress produced the gluten-free menu - which was rather impressive. Mainly because they clearly kept in some gluten free bread products so were able to provide me with the choice of most of the starter options.<br />
Clearly this is a simple thing for kitchens to do, just get a couple of loaves in, so why don't other places do it?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglb2hpPavD9MeG_A2nuntc527SNB_tEVHyUHdR16ZkYNedkKvkmyHFUTKl4AVJ1L4NtYputyY8cUr9I3VUF0FDLZD-ppZubSvfq0qOJP69xbQcz0elOseeTcDHpZUVsYmkoTrGLxhyphenhyphenAKw/s1600/DSC04496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglb2hpPavD9MeG_A2nuntc527SNB_tEVHyUHdR16ZkYNedkKvkmyHFUTKl4AVJ1L4NtYputyY8cUr9I3VUF0FDLZD-ppZubSvfq0qOJP69xbQcz0elOseeTcDHpZUVsYmkoTrGLxhyphenhyphenAKw/s320/DSC04496.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'd already looked through the menu online and so my mind was already made up - next time I will go for some of the bread options - just because I can!<br />
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Between us we ordered the Courgettes with garlic, chilli and tomato fondue, the Terrine, the Cheese and onion pie, the Aubergine and Lancashire cheese bake and the Roast of the day - Pork.<br />
Both the courgette and aubergine dishes were very tasty, although, possibly a reflection of my choices, they were rather similar, the tomato fondue of the main course being very similar if not the same, as the sauce for the aubergine. The pork was good and came with a generous amount of vegetables on the side. And the cheese and onion pie was very very cheesy. Probably being your weekly recommended amount of cheese all in one go. This came with a jacket potato with sour cream and a small side salad.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DcYOuQOzqEJIm7xp_h-Ie_8QDhT4mEMYajP5amYSzQKFMrD7hbX9F5kYMJqEc8xY_ArUiKEN5rjs5CXH33g2T9zaGzjE9ReinBu8NsfHxQjwu5XFUaCB5EtDGlc8DgZzrOBSTXoTxB8/s1600/DSC04499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4DcYOuQOzqEJIm7xp_h-Ie_8QDhT4mEMYajP5amYSzQKFMrD7hbX9F5kYMJqEc8xY_ArUiKEN5rjs5CXH33g2T9zaGzjE9ReinBu8NsfHxQjwu5XFUaCB5EtDGlc8DgZzrOBSTXoTxB8/s200/DSC04499.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LS0DfpjI5bzHUrhnmXZIrOx2PTWohRZfsbpFzJKUocD4CcrDu0ON__iQE90AwBPP3ZzrydKW0iSDZu-oVx8ZTkqL2X7ckewJ2H3U3_Ke601cPJixoH7nn0HKlDMkVrVNRAFS1p4P4Os/s1600/DSC04498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LS0DfpjI5bzHUrhnmXZIrOx2PTWohRZfsbpFzJKUocD4CcrDu0ON__iQE90AwBPP3ZzrydKW0iSDZu-oVx8ZTkqL2X7ckewJ2H3U3_Ke601cPJixoH7nn0HKlDMkVrVNRAFS1p4P4Os/s200/DSC04498.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ29V1Nart6ycE7Xvucdu-tRkOY5U6Sk2OTvS1FamV0J92ogbpL2TvxLV3Mpie6279kxGRDPTLsuA0oBe_HL8CXm3MX7se3Iq-uQ-3FltGfl2fF60LjIbDXvDzRYaZvNwYLQl4410DLY/s1600/DSC04505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJ29V1Nart6ycE7Xvucdu-tRkOY5U6Sk2OTvS1FamV0J92ogbpL2TvxLV3Mpie6279kxGRDPTLsuA0oBe_HL8CXm3MX7se3Iq-uQ-3FltGfl2fF60LjIbDXvDzRYaZvNwYLQl4410DLY/s200/DSC04505.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMYtctWW8kB-jbxzczDurYN0NNnET4lCwiyJ6m50e0g2IvrKgYAJPGXome4EQvkTn1cGrIOaFmLEbHmat10DsmLbTlNnw3XvxmBH9MHaejmKRDaha32T6jicbNIrGpIcHALZbxwhh4cg/s1600/DSC04501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMYtctWW8kB-jbxzczDurYN0NNnET4lCwiyJ6m50e0g2IvrKgYAJPGXome4EQvkTn1cGrIOaFmLEbHmat10DsmLbTlNnw3XvxmBH9MHaejmKRDaha32T6jicbNIrGpIcHALZbxwhh4cg/s200/DSC04501.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDa3x_z5tXxbat9HsUccfH84BDUO6Y4zlfyVsFvzIqiAzfCfY7SL2GSpKvlY0xc9VI18ByUG-eORIHAkZfbP-Kza_91t8Z42F0jUiF6psK1SN5QuwmfWt4ckYKRySiBIdZ7KOd8qGonM/s1600/DSC04502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBDa3x_z5tXxbat9HsUccfH84BDUO6Y4zlfyVsFvzIqiAzfCfY7SL2GSpKvlY0xc9VI18ByUG-eORIHAkZfbP-Kza_91t8Z42F0jUiF6psK1SN5QuwmfWt4ckYKRySiBIdZ7KOd8qGonM/s200/DSC04502.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5oST_fUaATcpGi85XhEydZfdIHdJibUA57meSqeKAKwrOFW-oHNrI-7Q29yZJT5UBZE4nvD-qig06IVAjIqtkksKXttJxi96AQI3V-MaFJlveWyd2vYf2acNVsX3QZ-OP88_IYVmDB4/s1600/DSC04503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5oST_fUaATcpGi85XhEydZfdIHdJibUA57meSqeKAKwrOFW-oHNrI-7Q29yZJT5UBZE4nvD-qig06IVAjIqtkksKXttJxi96AQI3V-MaFJlveWyd2vYf2acNVsX3QZ-OP88_IYVmDB4/s200/DSC04503.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>We had a couple of deserts, and a coffee - served with the famous (to us anyway) mini Eccles cake which is one of the main reasons why my cousin loves the place so much!<br />
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The prices were reasonable for the food we received. And the food was very good. If we'd chosen a different pub for Sunday lunch we think we'd have been presented with bigger portions, but these certainly weren't small by any means. <br />
We would recommend The Three Fishes to anyone. even the fussiest of eaters will find something on the menu, but those who are more adventurous will not be disappointed. And for the real ale drinkers, the choice available is rather impressive. The village of Mitton and the surrounding area are lovely, and it all makes for a lovely lunch out.<br />
<div align="center"></div>Fran and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01547808637955397252noreply@blogger.com0