Lemon Cake

My favourite cakes and I mean my FAVOURITE cakes to eat are lemon cakes. I love the taste of lemons and as such I am always eager to try out new and interesting recipes containing them.

With lemon cakes I am not overly bothered about producing fancy gateaux, but rather I like ordinary looking cakes that pack a hidden lemon flavour punch. My fail-safe lemon cake is at heart a basic Victoria sponge filled with lemon curd and drizzled with a lemon glace icing; incredibly simple to make but… oh… SO tasty!
 

Another favourite cake, which I have made hundreds of times during my life is my lemon Madeira cake. This is a solid looking cake, but with a surprisingly tender crumb! My children love it, particularly my son so I make it frequently.

 

Anyway, despite the fact that I have a couple of much-loved lemon cakes that I regularly bake, I am always keen to experiment and try out new variations. This recipe which is based on one that I came across by Raymond Blanc is unusual because you don’t cream the butter and sugar together and then add the eggs before introducing the flour. Here the ingredients are weighed and measured and placed into a bowl and beaten together and then the flour is added to make a fairly slack and runny batter. Plain flour is used, to which only a small amount of raising agent is added and yet the resulting cake is surprisingly light with a tight crumb. I was extremely pleased with how it tuned out and given how easy it was to make, I know that it is destined to become another family favourite.

 

I asked a few of my trusted taste-testers whether they liked the cake and the response was overwhelmingly positive. This is a cake that may look quite plain, but as we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it is one that I would recommend to anyone who wants to make a no-nonsense cake packed full of flavour.

Ingredients:

Cake:

5 large eggs

300g caster sugar

140ml double cream

Finely grated zest of 3 lemons

2tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

80g butter, melted

240g plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

To glaze:

3tblsp apricot jam

To finish:

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

150g icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Line a 24cm x 10cm loaf tin with baking parchment.
2. Place the eggs, sugar, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and butter in a large bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer, beat together until all the ingredients are mixed together.

3. Sift the flour and baking together and gradually mix into the egg mixture to create a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 50 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.

4. Remove from the oven and allow sit for a couple of minutes and then remove the cake from the tin and place on a wire cooling rack. Do not switch off the oven.

To glaze:

5. Place the apricot jam into a small saucepan and warm through. Place the cake on a baking tray. Brush the sides and top of the cake with the warmed jam and set aside for a few minutes while you make the lemon glaze.

Lemon glaze:

6. Put all the ingredients for the lemon glaze in a small saucepan and heat through until the sugar has dissolved. Brush the lemon glaze over the top and sides of the cake and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Place the cake into the oven again and switch off the oven. Remove the cake after 5 minutes and when cool enough to handle place on a wire rack to finish cooling completely.

 

Serves 8-10.
 

 

    

Pork Pie

I love the no-nonsense character and reassuring sturdiness of a well-made pork pie; jammed full of succulent pork surrounded by a thin layer of jelly and encased in a crisp hot water crust pastry shell. Mmmmm…!

A dry pork pie is not a pleasant thing to eat, but I am very pleased with how juicy this one is. In order to achieve this, it is important not to use cuts of meat that are too lean. I used mince pork shoulder and some hand chopped belly of pork. Another great thing about these cuts of meat is that they are relatively inexpensive, which in these recessed times is no bad thing! I also included some chopped smoked streaky bacon which I think works very well as it adds a smoky sweetness to the pie.

Make sure to season the meat generously because it makes a huge difference to the finished taste. Although sage and thyme are both quite assertive herbs, I have not used them tentatively and I advise you to do the same. If you are unsure about whether you have seasoned the meat sufficiently, I would recommend heating a smidgeon of vegetable oil in a small frying pan and frying off a teaspoon of the mixture until cooked through so that you can test the taste of the mixture and adjust the seasoning if required. It goes without saying that the ingestion of raw pork products can cause illness, so do not sample any uncooked meat mixture.

 

As mentioned in my post on Cornish Pasties, I am a great fan of hot water crust pastry and this is what I use here… it really is incredibly easy to make and you don’t have to be as light handed with it as you do other types of pastry. Traditional recipes for pork pies would have used lard in the pastry, but I love the flavour and flakiness that butter gives so that’s what I use.

 

This mixture creates two sturdy pies which are 10cms in diameter and about 12cms high. The pies keep well wrapped in the fridge for up to four days. I love to serve wedges of the pie with chutney or with a piquant mustardy piccalilli, though the latter is not to everyone’s taste. To be honest, sometimes a dollop of Heinz salad cream and a little side salad is all that is needed! This really is a lovely recipe for a weekend lunch!

 

Ingredients:

400g pork shoulder minced
100g boneless pork belly, chopped by hand into small dice

100g  smoked bacon, chopped by hand into small dice

1 heaped tsp ground mace

2 tblsp fresh sage, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

1 tblsp of whole grain mustard, preferably flavoured with honey

4 leaves gelatine

200ml chicken stock

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Hot water crust pastry:

150g butter

220ml water

450g plain flour

½ tsp salt

To glaze:

1 egg, beaten
 

Method:

1. Mix the minced pork shoulder and the diced pork belly and smoked bacon together in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground mace, chopped herbs, mustard and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well together. If liked, heat a little oil in a small frying pan and fry off a teaspoon of the mixture, taste and check the seasoning. Adjust as necessary.  Set aside while you make the pastry.
2. Put the butter and water in a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat. Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl and add the water/butter mixture. Mix together quickly using a wooden spoon or your hands, but note that the mixture will be quite hot. Bring together to form a dough.

3. Turn out onto a lightly floured work-surface. Roll out the dough using a rolling pin  curt out circles large enough to line the bottom and sides of your pie tins (I used two round tins 10cms in diameter and 12cms high with removable bases). Cut out circular lids for each of your pies also. Place the pastry lined tins and the pastry lids in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up slightly.

4. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Remove the pastry from the fridge and pack the meat mixture evenly into each pie. Using a little of the egg wash brush around the top pastry edges of the pies and place the pastry lids on top encasing the meat mixture. Press the edges together. If likes, using shapes cut out of left-over pastry and use to decorate the top of the pies. Brush the tops of the pies with egg wash. Make a hole in the centre of the lid, to allow steam to escape while the pies are baking.

5. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1¼ hours. Remove from the oven and allow cool.

To finish:

6. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 10 minutes until soft and then remove and squeeze out excess water. Heat half the stock, add the gelatine and whisk to dissolve fully. Remove from the heat (do not allow boil). Add the rest of the stock. Pour the stock slowly into the holes you made on the top of the pies. At first it will seem that the stock will not be absorbed, but if you do it slowly, you should get all/most of it in.

7. Allow the pies to cool completely and then remove from their tins and refrigerate before serving.
 

Makes 2 pies (serves 4-6).     

Seville Orange Marmalade

Marmalade is one of those foods that really seem to have gone out of fashion. Whereas once it was commonplace on the breakfast table, these days the trend seems to be more towards breakfast cereals and foods that can be quickly consumed. I think that this is a dreadful shame as there is something so unique about the taste of a good orange marmalade made with Seville oranges. I should point out that I am by no means suggesting that the preserve can only be used at breakfast time; as a fervent marmalade devotee I believe you should consume it when and wherever takes your fancy!

A good marmalade is initially sweet on the tongue but this quickly gives way to a bitterness, which truly celebrates the flavour of the oranges that are used. Seville oranges are not your usual type of orange. Firstly they are quite tart and definitely need the addition of some type of sweetness to halt their sour bitterness; but it is this very quality that makes them ideal for use in making marmalade. Secondly they are usually only available in January/February of each year. Although January is without a doubt the dreariest of months – a month to endure and just get through – the one thing that definitely brightens it for me is the arrival of Seville oranges in the grocery shop.

There is nothing like homemade marmalade. It just tastes so delicious. To me toast with marmalade is comfort food of the highest order. If also accompanied with a large mug of my favourite tea, it’s one of those things that will always manage to make me feel as if all’s right with the world.

 

Yes it is time consuming to make your own marmalade from scratch, but if you like the taste of marmalade, the sense of achievement you will feel seeing the newly potted jars of the preserve with their jewel-like coloured contents sparkling at you, is great to experience.

 

Normally, I prefer to be hands on in the kitchen and will forgo the use of kitchen gadgets, opting to get stuck in with my hands instead. When juicing citrus fruits for recipes, I usually use the carved wooden juicer that I have had for years… but NOT when I am making marmalades. It is labour intensive having to juice so many fruits. More juice always seems to get on me than in the container/jug into which I am trying to squeeze the extracted juice. For this reason I always hunt out from the back of the kitchen cupboard, the electric citrus juicer that my husband and I were given as a gift on our wedding day and it really does the job so effectively. The electric juicer may only see the light of day a couple of times during the year, but on those occasions, it is invaluable and I always think fondly of the person who gave it to us!

 

To sterilise your jars, wash them well in hot soapy water and then rinse thoroughly. Place in a baking tray in a low oven to dry completely.

 

Ingredients:

1kg Seville oranges
3.4 litres of water

2kg granulated sugar

Juice of 2 lemons
 

Method:

1. Halve the oranges and squeeze the juice into a large saucepan.
2. Scoop out the pips, pith and any remaining pulp and place into a sieve. Put the orange skins/peel to one side.
3. Using a wooden spoon squeeze as much residual liquid into the saucepan as you can get. Don’t discard the pips, pith and pulp, but rather tie it up in a square of muslin and add to the saucepan with the liquid.

4. Chop the orange peel into fairly fine shreds, or as I prefer chop it coarsely. Also add this to the saucepan. Add the water and lemon juice and leave everything to soak overnight.

Next day:

5. Place 4 small saucers in the freezer to chill for use later in testing setting point.

6. Put the saucepan over a moderate heat and bring up to a simmer. Allow to simmer for approximately 2 hours until the peel has softened. You may need less time if you have shredded the peel finely.

7. Remove the muslin bag and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Weigh the juice and simmered peel. There should be 1500g – 1600g. If there is less, add a little extra water to bring it up to 1500g.

8. Add the sugar to the saucepan and heat everything over a low heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves.

9. When the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and bring up to the boil. Do NOT stir whilst the marmalade is boiling. After 8-10 minutes test for setting point.

Testing for setting point:

10. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the bubbling mixture to calm down a little and the bubbles subside. Spoon a little liquid onto one of the saucers from the freezer. Wait 30 seconds and push the marmalade along the plate with your finger. Setting point has been achieved when the marmalade “wrinkles” and the marmalade is not runny. If it’s not at setting point, return the saucepan to the heat and boil for a further 2 minutes. Test again and repeat this process as necessary. To be honest I use a sugar thermometer, and once you it hits 105C, setting point has been reached!

11. Leave the marmalade to stand for 15 minutes and is starting to thicken. Spoon off any scum and discard.

12. Pot up the marmalade into sterilised jars, seal and label. Store in a cool, dark cupboard for up to a year.

 
Makes 1.5kg approximately.

     

A Really Simple Pea Soup!

The weather has been a little chilly and wintry lately and it seems that the obvious foods to cook and eat are warm and comforting stews and other similar type dishes. Thankfully, the days are beginning to lengthen and in no time at all spring will be here. Whilst I love autumn and winter and the rich and tasty foods on offer, there are times when I want to eat something that helps stave off the cold feeling in my bones but is not heavy to eat. This soup really satisfies these requirements and with its perky green colour it almost anticipates the lovely summery ingredients and produce that will start appearing as spring approaches.

Homemade soups are so easy to make and can be prepared and be ready to dish up in relatively little time. I use frozen peas for this soup and they really work a treat. Some people might turn their noses up at the use of frozen peas, but in my opinion they are far superior to the mealy fresh peas, that have been hanging around for too long and are so often available during the summer. Except for those times when I have my own hone-grown peas freshly picked from the garden available, I would always use frozen peas.

 

As with any green soup, the less you simmer it the better. I blitz this soup in the blender as soon as the peas are cooked so that the vibrancy of its colour is not lost. I also serve it immediately, with a swirl of fresh cream, a few whole peas and some freshly chopped mint. The soup will still taste fabulous if reheated or made ahead of time but the colour may dull a little.

 

I sometimes pass the soup through a fine sieve and whilst this does produce a silky smooth soup, it really isn’t absolutely necessary… do what’s easy for you. The soup will still be delicious.

 

The photographs that accompany this post show the soup presented in white soup bowls, but if you really want to emphasize the beautiful green colour, ladle the soup into blue or turquoise coloured bowls.

 

This is also a great soup to serve chilled in summer on those hot days when you want something easy to prepare, but refreshing to eat.

 

Ingredients:

25g butter

1 onion, chopped

2 sticks of celery roughly chopped

1 x 400g bag of frozen peas

A handful of fresh mint, roughly torn

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

500ml hot vegetable stock

To serve:

A little cream

Some small mint leaves to garnish

 

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onions and celery and sweat, without colouring for about five minutes or until soft. Tip in the peas (still frozen is fine) and add the torn mint. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the hot stock and bring up to a simmer (do not cover the saucepan with a lid). Simmer for about 7-8 minutes until the peas are cooked.

2. Remove the saucepan and blitz the peas in a blender until you have a smooth soup. If liked you can then pass the soup through a fine wire sieve – this will produce a very smooth soup, but it is not necessary.

3. Return the soup to a clean saucepan and heat gently heat through to bring it back up to temperature.

4. Serve hot with a swirl of cream, some whole peas and small sprigs of mint.

 

 Serves 4-6.
  

    



St. Tola Goats' Cheese & Chive Scones

Scones are so easy to make and can be rustled up and are ready to serve in no time at all. Whilst I am partial to sweet white scones served with jam and cream (of course), I also love savoury versions.

This recipe is essentially a simple cheese scone, but I have added a couple of tablespoons of freshly chopped chives because I love their mild onion flavour, which adds a sweet note and also complements the flavour of the hard goats’ cheese that I have also used. I was going to add some English mustard powder to give a little sweet heat but I felt that this might compete with the goats’ cheese. I do add mustard powder when I am making cheddar cheese scones, because its presence almost makes the cheddar seem more cheddar-y!!! I have deliberately omitted it here.

Scones are essentially a quick bread and I really cannot stress enough how quick these are to make. It takes about five minutes to prepare the dough and then another ten minutes or so to bake them. I recommend eating them still warm from then oven, split in half and spread with butter which melts slightly into the still warm crumb… HEAVEN!

The weather is still quite wintery but thankfully, now that the Winter Solstice has passed the days are beginning to lengthen and hopefully Spring is just around the corner. In any event, I was still feeling in the need of something warming to eat so I made a simple pea soup. I wanted something to accompany the soup and felt that these scones were just the thing. They were delicious with the soup and I will be making them again.

I love the goats’ cheese/chive combo. I used a hard goats’ cheese, which was almost gouda- like in texture, made by St. Tola Organic Goat Cheese, who are located in County Clare. Ireland has a great artisan cheese making industry and this is one of my favourites and when I am able to get my hands on it, I regularly use it in my cooking.

Anyway, here’s my recipe… Ironically the time that it has taken me to write the preceding paragraphs is actually longer than the time it would take to bake a batch of these tasty scones! One tip I would give whenever making any quick breads such as scones or soda bread – handle the dough as little as possible and do not overwork.

Ingredients:

250g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
30g butter
150g St. Tola hard goats’ cheese, grated

2 heaped tblsp snipped chives

150ml milk

To glaze:

Some milk or a beaten egg

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan Oven 200C/Gas Mark 7.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the grated cheese and the snipped chives and mix through the flour mixture.
3. Slowly add the milk to give a soft dough (it should not be too sticky, so add the milk slowly as you might not require it all).
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly to bring together and then roll out to a thickness of about 3cms. Stamp out rounds of the dough using a round 4-5cm cutter. Place on a lightly floured baking tin.

5. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of the scones with a little milk or beaten egg. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until well risen and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving, still slightly warm!

Makes 9-10 mini scones.