Perfect day for baking

Yesterday was a perfectly foul day, rain and more rain, dark, dismal and grey. And so the perfect day to do some baking and afterwards indulge in the delicious Almond, marzipan and berry cakes with a large pot of freshly brewed coffee and a good book - heavenly. 

The chapter yesterday was called " Using up the marzipan "an interesting read - I had always thought marzipan had to be made from almonds but not so, apparently there is a marzipan made from peach kernels!

These delicious cakes are made from an almond cake mix incorporating pieces of marzipan and berries - I used blackberries and blueberries. ( unfortunately I hadn't any marzipan to use up so had to buy some, took Mr Slater's advice and bought a good quality one not the bright yellow kind)

The result is a lovely intense almond flavour with a burst of fruit, moist and crumbly at the same time. Loved these.

A " not so bad " fish pie.

Fish pie has always been a pet hate of mine since being forced to eat it as a child, bland and mushy - ugghhh, never tried it since but yesterday's chapter headed " A potato crust for a fish pie " meant I would have to give it a go !!!

Mr Slater introduces me to a fish called Gurnard. Looking it up on the internet I have to agree with him, it is a very ugly fish. Apparently becoming popular on menus everywhere but I was unable to obtain any. However the recipe states a similar white fish can be used - thank goodness. 

So to the Gurnard, basil and potato pie. ( Or as I used coley )

Easy to make, especially good if you haven't a lot of time. My verdict - OK - but still hasn't convinced me to try other fish pies !!!

I served this with Winter leaves with gherkins and mustard. 

This I really liked, the dressing was excellent. Mr Slater talks about " ....the beauty of a winter salad" I have to agree - I love salad at any time of year. Reading this part of the chapter has also inspired me to try and grow winter lettuce , but first I will have to get my husband to build me a cold fame - perhaps next year then !!!!!!

Quince again

Today a chapter called "Browning meat. More quinces. "

A chapter which changed a long held belief of mine. I always thought browning meat in a shallow layer of fat or oil before cooking was to seal in the juices but not so says Mr Slater it will " enrich both the flavour of the meat and the juices in the pan  "

Another lesson learnt. 

Tonight we had Quick, mildly spiced beef. 

And just as it says it is quick to make and mildly spiced - quite rich

For desert we had Baked quince with orange and mascarpone ginger crunch. 

Not a fan of this one but the mascarpone ginger crunch was very, very nice. So simple and quick to make and delicious, will use this to accompany other deserts. 

All the way to Ilkley

January 20 th and a chapter headed " Golden  fruit ". I prepared earlier for this one in my search for quince. A round trip to Ilkley to source them but at least it meant coffee and cakes at Betty's   

The recipe today Quince and apple tart 

Not difficult to make but quince is a rock hard fruit and involves brute force to peel and dice it !

A tasty and slightly different tart but not sure, for me, the sourcing and preparing of the quince is worth the effort. Will try pear next time and see what that's like.

Does anyone make their own?

I have made my own puff pastry - in fact was taught how to at school many years ago, but like Mr Slater sometimes it is quicker and more convenient to use ready made. 

January 18 th s chapter was headed " Cheating with puff pastry " and that is exactly what we do with this recipe for A hearty pie of chicken and leeks

I used half quantities for this as there was only Jim and I in for dinner but it still made a substantial size pie!!! The filling was easy to prepare and quite delicious although my husband thought it  a bit too dry !

For desert we had Poached apples with ginger and anise.

I wasn't particularly looking forward to this one, fruity deserts are not a favourite but WOW - lovely. The spicey ginger syrup is really warming and perfect for our cold winter days. 

Plain speaking

January 15th and a chapter headed " A slow-cooked bean hotpot. And a quick version. "

Mr Slater speaks very plainly in this chapter when referring to the beans. Dried beans as we all know usually require soaking overnight but did you know ( I didn't) that they should be drained and then rinsed the next day as this ".....reduces the oligosaccharides........." Oligosaccharides are apparently the indigestible sugars that make us fart !!!!!! Lesson learnt !!

The recipe A crisp-crusted hotpot of aubergines and beans. 

Time consuming to make and my result was disappointing, despite the addition of rosemary, oregano, garlic and more this hotpot was quite tasteless. Even the topping of breadcrumbs, herbs and Parmesan was lacking in flavour .

Maybe it could have done with some seasoning.

The recipe said enough for 4 - there was more than enough for six!

Catch up

At last I got round to making the Chicken noodle broth having been shopping for some greens!!! 

Of this soup Mr Slater says ".......bright and life-enhancing. It has vitality, warmth and it is economical and sustaining too."

Not sure about " life en-hancing " but it is certainly economical to make, filling and warming yet surprisingly light. We really enjoyed this broth. 

January 13 th

Today's chapter is headed " The cooks knife" , in this chapter Mr Slater talks about his kitchen knives, his favourites and his treasured ones. My knives are one of my better pieces of kitchen equipment, my husband keeps them sharpened so much so, that I invariably slice a finger every time I use one !!!!

Today's recipe , which I made for my lunch, is Hot, sweet baked pumpkin A recipe Mr Slater says he originally cooked to accompany steak but found " ......it's sticky, sweet- sharp qualities...." led him to serve it ".......as a dish in its own right"

Butternut squash was given as an alternative ingredient to the pumpkin, so preferring it to pumpkin, I used it. 

What a delicious satisfying dish, warming, sweet and slightly hot ( that will be the addition of chilli and ginger) I loved this - perfect for lunch after my morning walk 

Juniper berries - good in gin!!

January 12 th and a chapter headed " Juniper - a cool spice for an artic day "

Juniper is one of Mr Slater's favourite spices ( I know it is used in some gins) so yesterday's recipe A ham and cabbage fry up had juniper berries as an ingredient. 

A quick easy fry up using the left over gammon, tasty but left us both with a lot of wind !!!!!

Almost back on track.

Jan 5 th and a chapter headed " Twelfth Night"

Mr Slater and I agree about the sadness felt when taking down the tree and packing all the decorations away, and like him I use this time to have a good clean and sort out. For me it's like an early spring clean and I spend a good week sorting out cupboards and drawers, taking things to the charity shop and having a good throw out - very therapeutic when the weather is bad and the days are dark. 

Jan 6th and the chapter is headed Epiphany and the recipe is Chicken noodle broth. I have forgotten to buy the greens I need for this so instead move on to Jan 9 th and a chapter headed " An old fashioned ham, a new sauce." ( I will come back to the broth at a later date!)

I am reminded when reading this chapter of how certain smells bring back memories from childhood. For Mr. Slater this is true of the smell of boiling gammon. 

The recipe is Ham with artichoke and parsley sauce. 

Never having being a fan of gammon but my husband loves it and so should delight in this. Oops I had forgotten he is eating out tonight!!! Only my daughter and I then!

The parsley sauce - made with artichokes and mustard added - was delicious and very different and even for me made the gammon enjoyable. 

The Roast artichokes cooked to accompany the ham I thought were delicious, sticky and slightly chewy - lovely. However Kim , my daughter, thought them " peculiar " and couldn't finish them.

I now believe I am back on schedule ( apart from the broth ) January 12 th is the next recipe date. 

 

"Refreshing and uplifting"

This is what Mr a Slater says of his Salad of pears and cheese with sprouted seeds

And it is a very accurate description! Although Mr S says he made his salad from left over things from his fridge, I had to source most of the ingredients as my fridge is bare !!!!!

" A sort of contemporary ploughman's lunch"  is how this salad is described. It is refreshing and makes one feel very virtuous but think I would rather have the ploughman's lunch!!!

Mincemeat hot cakes

These were so so easy to make and cook and were delicious both hot and cold, with or without brandy butter.

A parsley risotto with Parmesan crisps was made on the 2 nd of January. The chapter is headed " A bunch of parsley ". Never one of my favourite herbs but Mr Slater says of it " ........parsley brings us back to earth "

Nevertheless it proved to be good in a risotto but my favourite was the Parmesan crisp - yummy, just like the best bits of cheese which have fallen off cheese on toast and stuck to the grill pan!

December just about completed and January started.

Well all December's recipes completed except Mincemeat  hot cakes which I shall be making tonight.

Unfortunately we had no left over mincemeat ( this chapter called " Using up the bits ") so this had to wait until I had been shopping for more! 

Made a start on January's recipes however. Just over one month to go and I shall have completed the entire Kitchen Diaries 2 - wow .

Jan 1 st ( a belated Happy New Year to everyone) the chapter is headed " A humble loaf and a soup of roots "   Mr Slater says ".......kneading is a  good way to start the year. Tactile, peaceful, creative ....." Sounds perfect.

The first recipe I make is A cider loaf ( quick and so easy to make ) to accompany the second recipe, A soup of bacon and celeriac ( the only difficult thing about making this was grating to celeriac, got my husband to do this as it requires some strength)

Both were delicious and just what was needed after all the( over ) indulgences of Christmas .

Ten out of ten for both! Every scrap finished - and before I remembered to photograph them - sorry.

Definitely one to repeat. 

Roast Goose at last

Finally cooked the goose!!! £60 for a goose to feed four!!!! It better be good. 

This recipe should have been cooked on Christmas Day, but as I had a family dinner for nine we had turkey instead. 

Planned to do this on New Years Eve, but ended up cooking it yesterday when we had friends for dinner. 

Roast Goose with chickpeas, lemon and stuffing.

I have never cooked or in fact eaten goose before. This was delicious, very like the dark meat on a turkey which is my favourite. Was worried the meat might be dry as Mr Slater recommended a longer cooking time than other recipe books, but no - it was perfect. 

The stuffing was lovely, enough to stuff the bird and some left to make into patties to serve alongside. A great success. 

Blows your socks off!!!

New Years Eve and we had the Tamarind fish curry.

Mr Slater says  "......a recipe to play with, to tweak, twist and tinker till the recipe is to my taste...."

Think I should have done a bit more of that as we found it very very hot, enough to blow your socks off!!!

We ate it with huge amounts of rice and lots of iced beer. ( Unfortunately my fish fell apart too!)

Not quite back to normal

Well into the New Tear now - Jan 3rd - but I am not quite back into a normal routine, and although I keep cooking I have forgotten to blog!!!

Christmas bubble and squeak was good and a quick way of using up leftovers - although to be true to Mr Slater's recipe I had to buy some red cabbage.  Very filling and satisfying and tasty. I guess I can do lots of variations on this theme. 

A hot salmon for Christmas on pg 507 was delicious and looked very impressive when put on the table. Not a morsel left which speaks for itself!!! Not as hard to make as I had imagined, will do this one again.