All That I'm Eating

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

Outrageously Orange Mince Pies

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Outrageously Orange Mince Pies
Confession time. I’m not a great fan of mincemeat. It’s just a bit too strong for me. Having said that I am a big fan of the mince pie; so long as there’s more pastry than mince. To mellow the minciness of these mince pies I have mixed the mincemeat half and half with marmalade. There’s also some orange zest in the pastry to give them a real citrus zing. I think if someone had given me this less intense mince pie as a child I would have been more inclined to eat the whole thing rather than just the pastry.

Ingredients

You will need (for 12 mince pies):
225g plain flour
120g butter
Zest of one orange
Cold water

130g mince meat
130g marmalade (all the better if it’s a whisky marmalade)

Milk or egg for brushing

Method

Make the pastry by rubbing the butter into the flour until you have a breadcrumb texture.
Stir through the orange zest.
Bring the mixture together with little drops of cold water until it forms a ball. Knead quickly on a floured surface then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Roll the pastry out on a floured surface until just less than the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 12 rounds (fluted or plain) with a cutter that will fit your tin and then 12 smaller rounds for the lids. I used an 8.5cm and 6.5cm cutter.
Preheat the oven to 220C.
Use the larger rounds to line bun tins. read more

Victoria Sponge with Balsamic Strawberry Jam

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Balsamic Strawberry Jam close up
I love a good cake and they don’t get much better than a classic Victoria sponge. It’s got all you need in a cake; light, sweet, buttery sponge with fruity, slightly sharp jam sticking it all together. It is debated which jam is the best; strawberry, raspberry or even blackcurrant. Strawberry would always win for me and when I saw a lonely punnet of English strawberries at the greengrocer’s I had to buy it. After debating what to make with my edible purchase I set about putting a twist on this traditional cake.  

It goes without saying that your sponge must be magnificent but I think the jam is just as important as both the literal and metaphorical glue that holds this cake together. As much as I like the fruitiness and sweetness of strawberry jam I enjoy the faint acidity that comes with it. To increase the tang in my jam I wanted to incorporate some balsamic vinegar.

You will need:
3 eggs, beaten
Butter, at room temperature
Sugar
Self raising flour
Vanilla extract
1 punnet of ripe strawberries
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Strawberry jam read more

Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

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Hot Cross Buns
 Easter provides an opportunity to make things you don’t normally make; Simnel Cake, Chocolate Nests and Hot Cross Buns to name a few. If the weather is horrible it provides time to bake at leisure. This is a recipe for when you have bought or made too many hot cross buns in all the Easter excitement and they have gone a bit stale. It could also be used to disguise a less than perfect batch of homemade hot cross buns. It’s a brilliant way to make the most of this lovely, fruity spiced bun. Warm, crisp on top, gooey centre; what more could you want? You will need:  4 Hot Cross Buns,  Butter for spreading and a bit extra,  1 egg and 2 egg yolks,  3 tbsp caster sugar,  410g can condensed milk, A little extra milk Marmalade (optional)

Slice the hot cross buns into four or five slices and butter on one side. I thought I’d be lucky to get three slices but four or five can be easily accomplished with a little perseverance. If you want you can put marmalade on the buttered side too for an extra citrusy zing. Put the buttered slices into an oven proof dish. 

Whisk together the egg, egg yolks and sugar with until well combined. Empty the condensed milk into a saucepan and add two tbsp milk. Heat gently until almost simmering and then pour into the egg mixture whisking all the time. If you’re particularly exuberant with the whisking and subsequent calorie burning it would be rude not to reward yourself with extra pudding. Pour the custard over the bread and leave to soak in for a few minutes.

If the pudding is looking a bit parched and there’s not a drop of custard visible, pour over a little extra warmed milk. This will depend on the size of the hot cross buns you use. Put a few small knobs of butter on top of the pudding.  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


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