All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

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Zesting the lemons
There have been cakes in my past which I tried either when I was too young to appreciate them or they were a mass produced poor version of what is actually a beautiful cake. An example of this is carrot cake. What I thought carrot cake tasted like was nothing compared to when I made one for myself; it wasn’t dry it was moist, it wasn’t boring it was luscious and the icing is by far my favourite of all icing.  Another cake I had always ignored was lemon drizzle cake. Ones that I had tried were too sticky, not lemony or had so much icing you could have waded through it. This was my unshakable opinion and I wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, until I made it myself.

This turned out to be one of my favourite cakes to bake as it makes your kitchen smell so good. The classic cake baking aromas are wafting around with a bit of lemon thrown in for good measure. This is another recipe from my Granny. Some recipes make the cake in two tins and put lemon curd or butter icing between the cakes, I made one cake for optimum drizzle potential. 

To make the sponge, butter and line a nice deep cake tin. Beat together 175g each of butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Part of the reason I like making cakes is because I feel the beating, whisking and subsequent reduction in circumference of my arms more than compensates for the rather large slice I’ll help myself to once complete. 
Gradually add in three beaten eggs. Sift 175g self raising flour and a teeny bit of baking powder and fold this into the mixture. Grate in the zest of two lemons and mix. Place in a preheated oven at 180C for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Mine took about 55 minutes in the end. read more

Classic Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce

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I had been waiting and waiting until the asparagus turned up at the Farmers’ Market and last weekend it finally did. I had heard whispers and rumours that this fine vegetable had pushed its purple head through the soil but didn’t want to get my hopes up until I saw it with my own eyes. read more

Panettone and Marmalade Bread and Butter Pudding

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ingredients for panettone bread and butter pudding
There are some things that are tasty on their own but become even more so when transformed into a soft, squidgy, sumptuous (and very traditional) bread and butter pudding. This wonderful celebration of stale bread is one of my favourite puddings. It is exactly what you want from a pudding; sweet, light but also filling, warm and most importantly delicious. I think to describe it as stodgy is highly unfair.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):
  • One large panettone
  • Butter
  • Marmalade
  • Nutmeg
  • 125g sugar
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 2 large eggs
  • 275ml double cream
  • 250ml milk

Method

For this particular bread and butter pudding I used a Panettone that had been hanging around the back of the cupboard, some tangy marmalade that my Great Auntie had made, butter (a given) and a grating of nutmeg. I’ve not sliced a Panettone before but it was rather successful and very conveniently the slices snuggled into the dish like they were made for each other. Each slice was buttered, marmaladed and nutmegged before it went into the dish – marmalade side up. 

To make the custard (which is thinner than if you would be making it to pour) whisk the egg yolks, eggs and sugar together and then whisk in the milk and cream. I have tried the custards where you heat the milk and cream first and I think it makes no real difference. This way is much quicker and easier.

Pour the custard over the bread and leave it to rest for 20-30 minutes so that the custard has a chance to seep into the bread and make a gooey mess. I find you’ll probably need to push the bread into the custard to ensure it all gets a good bathing. read more

Chicken Liver Pâté

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Pesto, hummus and bread are just a few examples of things that if you make yourself, couldn’t be further from the shop bought version. Chicken liver pâté is another. I have long had an affection for this most accepted of offal and I felt it was about time I got myself some to see how a homemade one compares. I couldn’t have asked for better livers. They were free range, organic and fresh as you could ask for. I never eat supermarket chicken and so the money I would have spent on that I spend on farmers’ market chicken and just eat it less often.
This recipe took me about 10 minutes to make so if you find yourself with the opportunity to buy livers, do so. read more

Using up jars in the cupboard – Rich Shortcrust Pastry Tarts

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ingredients for shortcrust pastry tarts

Where a few months ago a slice of lemon drizzle cake or a blueberry muffin would have cheered up my lunchbox I needed something more substantial, more buttery and more comforting. All this snow has meant I’ve been raiding the cupboards and I found jars and bottles full of stuff that really I’m never going to use. I also figured if any of my nearest and dearest know me, I’ll be getting many more jars of treats on the 25th.

I managed to find some raspberry jam, golden syrup, lime curd, greengage jam, pecans in honey and some quince jelly. All lovely on toast or scones or crumpets but also all nearing their ends. I needed to use them up and make the most of them. read more

Purple Carrot Soup

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ingredients for purple carrot soup
Wandering around a market with cash and a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables it’s hard to resist buying. I made a most excellent choice as far as I’m concerned and parted with my pennies in exchange for a majestic purple carrot. For something that I find as rarely as this I wanted to make the most of it without detracting from the magnificent root itself. Carrot soup was to be lunch.

Ingredients

What you will need (for two bowls):

  • 2 large carrots (2 purple if you can get them)
  • Butter
  • Chicken or vegetable stock 400ml
  • Garlic clove
  • Coriander seeds 1tsp
  • Fresh coriander
  • Creme fraiche
  • Seasoning

Method

If you ever manage to get hold of these little beauties, my advice would be to never boil them. Not only does it turn everything else a strange browny purple colour it also takes all the colour out of the carrots.

As I only had change for the one purple carrot I added an orange one too. For the soup, fry the carrots and garlic in a nice hearty sized knob of butter. Put the lid on them and let them soften.

While they do this, dry fry a teaspoon of coriander seeds until they jump around the frying pan and are good and toasted. read more

Quince and Apple Crumble – adventures with the quince

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apples and quince
The quince used to be a hidden fruit. It seems it was embarrassed of its furry skin, ever varying sizes and odd looks. I had heard rumours of it returning to its former glory and I kept my eyes peeled and nostrils ready for a sight or a whiff of this mysterious fruit.  I found it. If you have not ever been lucky enough to encounter the quince then scrap any plans this weekend and go and hunt some down. It looks like a pear, is tough like a pumpkin, fuzzy like a peach and smells like a guava crossed with a passion fruit. It’s a cheeky fruit that would cheer up even the most dampened spirits. I wanted to make the most of this fruit. Very resourcefully I had frozen some apples that were given to us a while ago and for which I had no use at the time. I made a crumble, it is the season for them after all.

Ingredients

What you will need (for four large servings):
  • Quinces – I had 2
  • Apples – I had 1 big one
  • Knob of butter
  • Good portion of caster sugar
  • Bowl of water with lemon juice in
  • 175g flour
  • 75g butter
  • 50g light muscavado sugar
  • Almonds and oats for the top

Method

I have never come across anything that will brown as quickly as a quince. It’s quite impressive. You will need to super speed peel the quinces and put them in the lemon infused water. Even then don’t be surprised at how quickly they change colour. When chopped, put them in a pan with the butter and the sugar. 
I would say don’t go too sweet as some of the charm of the quince is in its astringency. I added the frozen apples right at the end so they didn’t turn to a mush.

I put this in a small dish so that when it was served, everyone got a good dose of quince. I then crumbled. Rub the butter into the flour and then stir in the sugar. By putting it into a small dish it ensures no one will be short of crumble either. 
I put some crushed almonds and oats on the top too. read more

Buttered Toffee Apple Crumble

By 14 Comments

cooking apples for crumble

When one suffers from less than optimal circulation in the extremities, they certainly know when the days are shortening and the evenings cooling. To rectify this and to warm the cockles there was only one thing for it. Apple crumble.

Not just any apple crumble but one which I had discussed with my Grandmother just hours before. “Oooh, the other day I saw someone put butter and sugar into the apples for a crumble. It did look nice”. I took this little gem as gospel and went crumbling about.

Ingredients

What you will need (for four large servings):
  • 6 to 8 large apples
  • 250g unsalted butter
  • 150g sugar – muscavado or demerara
  • Dried fruits – a handful of any you want to include
  • 175g flour
  • 75g butter
  • 50g caster sugar
  • Handful of demerara/muscavado for the top
  • Flaked almonds – if you want them, as many as you deem fit

Start by putting the apples, unsalted butter and devilishly dark sugar in a pan. Let it bubble and goop away until it reaches the consistency that you think is best. Then mix in any dried fruits that you are using.

Put this mixture in to a suitable oven proof dish and then crumble away. Rub the butter and flour together until you get the texture of fine breadcrumbs. I start by using a knife and then move on to using hands. Stir in the caster sugar and then sprinkle the best bit (crumble) on the top.   read more

Plum Bakewell Tart

By 6 Comments

What a strange time of year. As a newbie to vegetable gardening and being too distracted by pride with what had been successful, I missed the band wagon and subsequently planted nothing else this year. Curses. All was not lost! A friend of mine with superfluous plums was kind enough to give us a bag full. What to do with that many plums…I consulted my various books and found a recipe I had written out by hand. I’ve no idea where it came from originally but what a recipe it was; Plum Bakewell Tart. read more

Caramel Shortbread

By 10 Comments

I fancied making some shortbread and in my quest I stumbled across an interesting variation of this classic. It was in James Martin’s book entitled ‘Desserts’ (see link below). I love this book, the recipes are so easy to follow and are always yummy. He calls this particular recipe ‘Grandma’s caramel shortbread’ and I am so grateful she shared this recipe with him so I was lucky enough to be able to make and eat it.

Ingredients

What you will need:

397g can of condensed milk read more


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