Roasted September Figs!

Hello again everyone, how are we all doing? Good I hope. I’ve been pretty laid back with posting recently, and I really can’t put my finger on why I have been so non-committed to writing to you all, oh well I shall get back into the routine again this week, blaming it entirely on the September weekend holiday! Which I must say has been very quiet for the most part, nothing really exciting has occurred, at all apart from a flying mission in town to get a few Christmas gifts before rushing off to a conducting lesson. Although yesterday was probably the most relaxed of all, a spot of X factor UK, a pumpkins spice latte from Starbucks (oh wow), and an ice cream. So there you have it my very uneventful but in a strange way extremely satisfying long weekend.

Now the recipe coming up is really to celebrate the marvelous fig. To tell you the honest truth, if figs never existed, I really don’t know what I could do without them, their wonderful texture, the smell when the roast and best of all the taste which is so exquisite on many levels. Many people I know and you out there may not like figs at all after being fed those horrible fig rolls (dry sponge biscuits with a fig ‘like’ filling), urgh disgusting. Well I am sure this will convert you to a galaxy of figs far, far away! The way I usually do figs is the method I am about to show you. Drizzled with olive oil and a good splash of Marsala (a fortified Italian wine), then they are placed into a hot oven and are then drizzled with a honey and cream reduction (it’s not that daunting, don’t fret) and then scattered from a height I drop a creamy, pastel green handful of chopped pistachios. This recipe = total happiness! Cold September evenings have never, ever been this good..

INGREDIENTS:

8 black figs.

2 tsp olive oil.

60ml double cream.

2 tsp honey.

2 tbsp shelled green pistachios, chopped.

Few splashes of Marsala.

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7.

Take a knife and then a fig, cut the fig downwards 3/4’s of the way and then turn it round and do the same. Push the fig open slightly, and you will end up with a flowering fig! Repeat with the other 7.

Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and then a few splashed of the Marsala. Pop them in the oven for 10 minutes (less if they are small).

While the figs are baking, take a small saucepan and heat the cream and honey together for 1 1/2 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Chop the pistachios also if not already done so.

Serve all the figs on a large black plate (if possible) and then drizzle over the warm honey and cream sauce followed by a scattering of chopped pistachios! Sophisticated Simplicity!

Enjoy, and until next time, farewell..

Merci,

Ryan!

 

 

 

 

No Churn One Step Coffee Ice Cream!

Hello again there folks, how are we all? Well and fit I hope. I’m quite full of the countryside today, as I was on a sort of Biology field trip to Pollock Country Park in Glasgow, which I must admit it one fabulous park, full of lovely acres of woodland and gives you an excuse to take the camera out of it’s unopened box and take the dog along with you to and get outdoors and enjoy the wilderness. Haha, well not quite but you understand, at least I hope so! Well after all of that fresh country air and the walking around gathering up experiments and placing random quadrants around a selectively grazed field, to examine the biodiversity (well that’s a mouthful and a half there), anyway I returned home to a warm cup of Ovaltine ( malt drink, if you are wondering) and a spot of Violin practice. Taking the right decision and not tackling my way through music theory was a very good option tonight, oh my the stuff kills me from the inside out and the reverse way too. So instead I have made the rather appropriate decision as to just do a post for you all this evening and maybe make a relaxed start into the weaving world of a William Shakespeare essay on The Merchant of Venice. Unfortunately that is plan for this evening, although I would rather just curl up and go to bed in a warm cosy blanket!

Anyway here is the recipe that makes even the gentlest of angels in heaven, fall into a rasp of comforting smooth bliss. Or otherwise known as this rather enchanting ice cream, it’s possibly the simplest and most complex of ice creams I have posted on this blog before. Honestly, it only has 4 ingredients and I love it dearly. I may have simply stolen this directly from Nigellisima, but you really had to see and make this, and as Nigella says herself, it is best served with a warm brioche roll, mmmmm… I can’t hold the anticipation in any longer so I am just going to tell you it right now,

INGREDIENTS:

1 x 397g tin of Condensed milk.

300ml full fat double cream.

2 tbsp Instant espresso powder.

2 tbsp espresso liqueur. or Tia Maria…

METHOD:

Simply whisk all of the ingredients together in the bowl of a kitchenaid and then when softly peaked and whisked, and caffe latte in colour, delicately scoop into ice cream containers and freeze until set, enjoy!

As easy as that!

Merci,

Ryan!

 

Brandy Snaps!

Hello again folks, how are we all? Good I’m hoping, I feel a little tired but I am forcing myself to stay awake and continue this post for you all. My sincerest apologies for not posting in six days, (yes SIX days, I know terrible), my excuse is pretty valid though as I have been at school English trip to the lovely little English town of Stratford upon Avon, yes the hometown of the world’s most renowned playwrights, of course you guessed it right it was William Shakespeare of course and so therefore I must have gone there to see a play in the main theater performed by the one and only Royal Shakespeare Company. Hamlet was our play we saw and I must admit it was utterly fantastic with a few slightly modern retakes in there just to jazz things up a little. I shall put up some photos of the trip at the end of this post. So, that is my reason for not posting in a while and I do hope that I am now forgiven.  The only thing I can comment on that was a disappointment of the trip was the service station dinner which consisted of a KFC for a quick fix.

Right moving onto tonight’s recipe of choice. I really have no particular idea as to why I chose to write about brandy snaps, I think they just carry that retro, vintage feel and when made with meticulous care and attention result in a very happy bunch of endeavoring eaters. The sort of nostalgic feeling of being in a childhood sweetie shop filled with many jars of classic favourites such a liquorice toffees, chewy caramels and of course the ultimate nostalgic gift the almighty gobstopper. But you know when you arrived at the till, you would occasionally find a lovely ribbon tied basket filled with empty rolled up brandy snap biscuits ready to be filled/piped with whipped cream for the ultimate vintage food reunion or dinner party. Trust me with the food running of the kitchen like wild fire (in a totally relaxed manner) and the dinners a flowing, you will be no happier as to when the moment of revealing these marvelous creations to your hungry guests. I really do think you should make brandy snaps on a day when there is no one in the way of your kitchen and that the day needs to be just as relaxed and you and the baking are as well. So there we go, I promise you this is one of those  recipes you must not look at and go oh no I could never make them, far too difficult. Well think again, because in a matter of moments I am going to change you life for the better! To the kitchen we go, on a crisp Autumnal evening…

INGREDIENTS:

The way to achieve perfect snaps, is to ensure that you are using proper digital scales and weigh precisely!

55g unsalted butter.

55g demerara sugar.

55g golden syrup.

50g plain flour.

1/2 tsp ground ginger.

1/2 tsp lemon juice.

150ml softly whipped double cream.

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Line two baking sheets with baking paper. Then take a handle of a wooden spoon and oil it well.

Place the butter, sugar and golden syrup into a smallish saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved. Do not let the mixture boil (avoid crystallizing).  Leave the mix to cool slightly for 2-3 minutes, then sieve in the flour and ginger. Pour in the lemon juice and stir well to combine.

Now take four teaspoons of the mixture and make four neat circles on each tray. repeat for the second tray. Space them 10cm apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until spread out and looks lacey, dark and golden in colour.

Once baked, you need to work fast to shape the brandy snaps, so its easier if you bake one tray at a time. Remove each tray from the oven and leave for a minute or so to firm up slightly, then lift from the baking parchment using a fish slice. The mixture needs to be just firm enough to remove, but pliable enough to shape. Check by releasing around and under the edges with a small palette knife.

Quickly roll a circle of the warm mixture around the handle of the wooden spoon, having the join underneath. Press the join lightly together to seal, then slide the brandy snap off the spoon and leave it to firm up on the wire rack, again with the join underneath. If any of the circles on the sheet harden too much to work with, put them back in the oven for a few seconds to soften again. Repeat until all the mixture has been used. If the mixture in the pan becomes too firm to drop in neat spoonfuls, roll a teaspoonful of it into a small smooth ball in your hands, sit it on the baking tray and flatten slightly with your fingers. When cold, store the brandy snaps in an airtight tin or container; they will keep for at least a week.

Fill/ pipe with the whipped cream and serve for a flashy retro dinner party dessert.

Never put in the fridge!

Merci Beaucoup, Ryan!

!

 

 

 

 

 

White Chocolate Fudge!

Hello again folks, how are we all today? Good, not to bad or maybe feeling the cold a little? Well I certainly am indeed. My school was absolutely freezing today, it was just horrible having to be locked up in an enclosed space of bitter air whilst writing or copying notes from the whiteboard. While on top of that you can still hear that annoying presence of the smart board monitor churning in the background. Well, it’s not all that bad (school that is) but there are just days when all you really need is the radiators to be turned up full whack. I’m obviously not going to exasperate on this matter further, but if you ever find yourself in a cold situation like that them don’t feel obliged to wrap up that lovely cosy scarf round your neck when writing about textual analysis (let’s just leave it at that, shall we haha?).

This is sort of comfort food you really want to sink your teeth into when the nights are getting darker and the TV is ever so slightly improving, but just don’t really mention it to the dentist the next week after you wake up with immense toothache from this gloriously sweet endeavor. I love not just the taste of this fudge, but the wonderful appearance of it when you remove it from it’s foil tin (just my preference saves the washing up later) and take a sharp knife and slice it into little petit four cubes. The golden brown layer followed by a small white chocolate layer followed by another golden brown layer makes the perfect fudgy structure. The chocolate once melted and poured over the fudge, never really cools down much that it begins to harden to a brick again, it stays lusciously smooth and soft within and it makes the most fantastic Christmas present to someone who requires a little bit of sweet indulgence in their lives. I love to get a small cardboard box and line it with tissue paper of white baking paper and layer the fudge in the box and then tie over a huge red strand of ribbon (or gold) to make the holiday season a glow. Anyone who you give this to will not be dissatisfied in the slightest, infact you may find them becoming a little closer to you instead. Which in my opinion is clearly not a bad thing at all. Maybe it is the taste and texture and wrapping of the fudge that is the best bit, but I do truly love crafting it in the kitchen with the Xmas tunes on in the background, a cup of tea in hand and a wooden spoon in the other. The smells of the roast turkey in the oven slowly permeating the household with it’s brilliant aromas. Now that’s what I call a good Christmas scene..,.

You will require:

A rectangular foil roasting tray or medium depth, for ease of getting the fudge out later.

Sugar thermometer.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp flavourless oil, such as a veg based oil.

1 x 397g tin of condensed milk, don’t fret they may come in 400g.

100g unsalted butter.

450g caster sugar.

50g white chocolate chips.

METHOD:

Grease the foil tin with the oil and set aside.

Place the condensed milk, butter and sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat and stir together bringing to a boil, stirring frequently to prevent burning (best thing to do is not leave the stove). Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until a sugar thermometer reads 113C or the soft ball stage.  The fudge should have also changed colour to a dark amber brown.

Immediately remove the pan from the heat and place the pan in a bowl of cold water a few cm’s deep and  beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for 7-10 minutes until the fudge becomes thick and matt and is hard to stir any more. It will look grainy and it should do.

Pour half of the mixture into the foil tray. Scatter over the 50g or chocolate chips before pouring over the rest of the fudge mixture using warm palette knife to help. leave to cool and then set in the tin overnight in the fridge or for 2-3 hrs in the fridge, before cutting the tin open to reveal the fudge and cutting into about 36 squares, boxing, wrapping or indulging.

Enjoy. Until next time,

Merci,

Ryan!

Nigella’s Chocolate and Banana Muffins Kitchen!

Bramble Jelly! Preserves have never been this easy..

Hello again folks, how have we all been this week? Good I’m hoping.. Surviving the latest outbreaks of the cold + flu across Scotland, Haha maybe not, but I’m a lot better now and so feel so much more able to post to you all this evening. I have just returned from a fabulous meal at a small, quite quaint Italian restaurant in Glasgow’s city centre there. Lovely interior + great food + great service = happy customers indeed. Although right now I am as stuffed as a swiss roll, typing this post seems like a tremendous effort but it’s worth battling through it of course! I may not have already told you this but, I went bramble picking on Wednesday evening this week to come home with a few wasp stings and a good few batches of delicious brambles. I suggest if you are going to make this jelly, that you use wild brambles as the pectin in the wild fruit has not been tampered with as where it shop bought and sprayed with pesticides. The best tip that any average forager would give you for soft fruit is that you would only pick the blackest fruit and that the source you pick it from is high above the ground to prevent any unwanted dogs or foxes (if in urban areas) rubbing against them. I mean this is probably the most easy of the many preserves  to make at home as it basically equal quantities of the 3 ingredients used and that it is mostly free of charge, what could be better. It doesn’t require a jam thermometer and you do not to need to laboriously stir the damn thing every 20 seconds as with a strawberry jam (not that I am saying an afternoon of stirring is tedious and boring, you just have to set aside a day for that sort of thing if you like, whereas this can be made the moment you get back from the forage et voila!). I’m not going to enter a big squabble about Xmas affairs but I thought I would just touch on a few ideas I came up with yesterday whilst sitting at my desk with pondering thoughts as one does. My main idea was to create my own candles as little Xmas extra’s and also that this year I have decided to change my Cake arrangements slightly and go down the Italian root of an incredibly spiced fruit cake called Certosino, flavoured with fantastic apples and Xmas spices, wow what a treat! And that’s not all to finish it’s glazed with a vibrant array of glossy fruits and nuts!  Yum.. So to continue, off to the jar making stove-top kitchen!

INGREDIENTS:

Weigh the amount of brambles you have and then use exactly the same amount or caster sugar. The lowest weight of brambles I would work with is 300g.

So that would work out at 300g-300g ratio!

juice of 1 lemon.

METHOD:

Firstly, through rinse the fruit in a colander and then heat up a scant amount of water in a saucepan.

Add the brambles and simmer for 5 minutes. Slightly crush the fruit with a wooden spoon and then add the sugar and lemon juice. Boil rapidly for 10-15 minutes until syrupy.

Whilst that task is ongoing, sterilize the jam jar(s) in the oven for 10mins at Gas 1 / 140C.

When the jam is ready line a sieve with a sheet of muslin and then sieve the jam through into the jars and then seal over and label when cool.

NOTE: This jelly will only keep for a month!

Enjoy folks, and as always have a good week until next time,

Merci,

Ryan!

Ginger, Chilli and Butternut Soup!!

Hello everyone again, how are we all? Nice to just come home from a day of work at school and sit back, relax with my laptop and write the rather uplifting post to you all. So as the weather in Scotland is starting to draw into a rather cloud of bitter coldness I thought it would be the right thing to do, to give you all a cold + flu fighting bowl of magic. Although I’m sitting here myself surrounded by a sea of tissues sniffling with the cold, but I’m battling on and with my utmost determination to provide you with this beautiful uplifting creamy bowl of fiery indulgence!

INGREDIENTS:

5cm piece of fresh root ginger, finely grated).

1 large red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced.

1 large butternut squash, halved with seeds removed.

750ml Chicken or Veggie stock.

250ml Water.

1 x 400g can of coconut milk.

1/2 tsp ground cumin.

Few bunches of fresh coriander for blending and a few sprigs for decorating.

1 onion, finely sliced.

METHOD:

Pop a steamer onto the hob, and cube the butternut squash into smallish chunks (this will require a little hard graft). Steam for around 10-15mins until just tender.

Meanwhile heat up the onion in the soup pot with a knob of butter and a dash of olive oil. Add a sprinkling of salt to stop the onions burning.

Now add the stock, water and butternut squash, followed with the rest of the ingredients, apart from the coriander.

Simmer for 5 mins before blitzing to a smooth puree consistency, before adding the coriander and blitzing with the second batch.

Ladle into warmed serving bowls and serve with warm crusty homemade bread, yum!

Perfect balance of hot and creamy..

Thanks, until next time:

Ryan!

 

Quick Post Update! (For next few posts)..

Hello again everybody, I do sincerely appologise for not posting in a couple of days, I have been up to my eyes in the cold! Really starting to irritate me now, and so to relieve all of my pressure I thought I would just give you a little overview post on the next few coming your way. I could have sent you all one last night but everything just seemed to co-inside with one another, and so that idea was scraped very quickly. Now, for tomorrows planned post I decided that I would share with you a wonderful wintery/autumnal soup recipe, which I have been carefully contstructing these past few days, and is sure to wipe any signs of fatigue and cold + flu away, with the magical medicinal properties of natural root ginger! Apart from that, on Saturday of this week I plan to make some Bramble jam, from the nearby bramble bushes scattered along the railway lines surrounding my grandad’s house. Oh how a spot of bramble picking can be just so satisfying and fantastically easy to do to! And so therefore I have reached the end of this somewhat brief explanation of what’s to come on this blog soon! So until tomorrow, have a lovely evening!

Ryan..

Cinnamon Meringues with Vanilla Chantilly!

Hello again folks, how are we all today? Glad it’s Friday? That’s how I’m currently feeling, relieved that the current week is drawing a peaceful close and also, for the fact that tomorrow will be filled with that warm Christmas scent that is cinnamon. In this case, a beautiful chrystal white structure, served with a pillow of softly whipped vanilla chantilly cream and dusted with mud-brown earthy cinnamon = divine! So, this week has had it’s ups and moderates (well what I mean by that is, my instrumental practice has been quite low, due to so much school and out of school work). Well for the lesson tomorrow, I will just bluff a 6 page dance suite, hmm… not going to happen.  I just have to imagine the meringues that I will make afterwards. In terms of ups, my friend told me today that it is only 110 sleeps until Christmas, but I count the start of the festive period well into October. Seriously if I was to write down everything I love about the festive affair, we could be here a while, music, food, shopping, relaxing, baking, cake, wrapping, coffee’s at Starbucks (personal fav by the way haha). I already have cake plans and present ideas sorted, ah, cannot keep the anticipation up for much longer. Let’s get on with the Meringues tonight:

INGREDIENTS:

280g Caster sugar.

6 egg whites (old is better for Meringues, actually).

Pinch of cinnamon.

300ml Double or whipping cream.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract,.

METHOD:

Firstly, preheat the oven to Gas 1 / 140C.

Place the sugar into an ovenproof dish and heat for 30 minutes.

Whisk the egg whites on a high speed while adding in the warm sugar. Mix until the meringue is stiff and shiny and holds very stiff peaks when drawn out from the mixing bowl.

Line a baking sheet with paper.

Dollop piles of this onto the paper and dust lightly with cinnamon before placing in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire wrack before piling on a stand and dusting with more cinnamon.

Now is the time to take a quick break, sling on the Xmas tunes and whip the cream and vanilla together until just holding it’s shape. Do this by hand!

Enjoy, and have a wonderful early Xmas, filled with the scent of gorgeous spice!

Merci,

Ryan!

Moist Lemon and Thyme Cake!

Hello again folks, how are we all doing? Well I hope we are all very happy, hmm.. after a slice of this slice of summer sun  you will be very glowing indeed (glowing in the smiling terms, although a tan would do just nicely as well).  I’m feeling pretty tired this evening so I’m not going to blog for long, just for your satisfaction I do feel terrible but sometimes life is just like that. This very simple lemon cake infused with fresh thyme leaves is a real palette cleanser. Great served alongside a dollop of thick, creamy yogurt!

INGREDIENTS:

200g butter (unsalted).

200g caster sugar (golden).

100g plain flour,

1 tsp baking powder.

100g ground almonds (if allergic use 200g plain flour).

4 free-range eggs.

2 lemons, zest only.

1 tsp thyme leaves.

For the Syrup:

4 tbsp golden caster sugar

2 lemons, juice only.

1/2 tsp thyme leaves.

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to Gas 3 / 160C. Line a loaf tin (900g) with baking paper and set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar in a food mixer until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl sift together the flour and baking powder then mix with the almonds.

Lightly beat the eggs then fold them into the butter mixture in two or three sessions, beating them in thoroughly each time. If the mixture looks as if it is about to curdle, stir in some of the flour.

Grate the zest from the lemon and mix it with the thyme leaves. Pound the two together with a pestle, or some other heavy weight, and stir into the cake mixture.

Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder and almonds.

Spoon the cake mixture into the lined tin and bake for 45 minutes (if dividing the mixture into smaller tins reduce the time accordingly).

For the topping, dissolve the sugar in the juice of the lemons over a moderate heat and stir in the thyme leaves (a few flowers would be good here too). As the cake comes from the oven, spike the surface with a skewer and spoon over the syrup.

Leave to cool and serve in slices with thick yoghurt. Enjoy, best made on a rainy day to remind you of better days!

Merci,

Ryan!