Category: Recipes
Simnel Hot Cross Buns

Simnel Hot Cross Buns

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I’ve never been much of a fan of hot cross buns – too fruity, too dry, too many of them around wayyy too long before Easter. Yet every year between February and mid-late April the hot cross buns hit the shops and before I know it there’s a couple of slices in the toaster and I’m holding a knife at the ready to slather them in butter.

So this year I’ve finally accepted that there is something to be said for this humble Easter bread and have decided to make my own hot cross buns – but trying to correct all the flaws I think the shop ones you get have. Less fruit – still enough to be a hot cross bun but not so much it’s bitter, a wetter dough to make it softer and less drying on the palette and a little ball of marzipan in the middle to give it an Easter simnel twist. Now, all that nerdism over essentially what is just a blob of fruity bread is probably enough proof that I’m a food fanatic who is a) procrastinating and b) stuck for things to say on this despite that putting marzipan in hot cross buns is a pretty fine combination. So eyo, onto the recipe…

Recipe

Makes 15

Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 300ml Milk
  • 50g Butter
  • 500g Strong white bread flour
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 75g Caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp Sunflower oil
  • 7g Fast-action dried yeast
  • 1 Large egg, beaten
  • 75g Sultanas
  • 25g Mixed peel
  • Zest of 1 Orange
  • 1 Apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Mixed spice
  • 85g Marzipan

To decorate

  • 75g Plain flour
  • 3 tbsp Apricot jam

Method

  1. Put the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Add the butter and leave to melt/cool down.
  2. Put the bread flour, salt, sugar, and yeast into a bowl and mix together. Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk. Then add the beaten egg and mix with a round bladed knife until a dough starts to form.
  3. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with clingfilm. Then leave in a warm place to rise for at least 1 hour, until doubled in size.
  4. Once proved turn the dough out onto a work top and knead for 5 seconds to knock out the air. Then add the sultanas, mixed peel, orange zest, chopped apple, cinnamon and mixed spice to the dough. Knead them into the dough and then put back into the bowl and leave to rise again until doubled in size, again covered in cling film.
  5. Meanwhile split the marzipan into 15 equal chunks and then roll each into a ball. Leave to one side, covered in cling film until needed.
  6. When risen divide the dough into 15 pieces and roll each into a circle with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface. Put a ball of marzipan into the centre of each dough disk and then bring the dough up around it so you have dough balls surrounding a ball of marzipan.
  7. Place the buns on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Arrange them so they have room to grow, but close enough so they’ll join when they rise. Cover loosely with cling film and leave to rise for another hour.
  8. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C. Mix the flour with 5 tbsp of water, a little at a time, to make a paste. Spoon this into a piping bag fitted with a small, round nozzle. Pipe a line across the centre of the buns in one direction, then the other to make a cross. Bake the buns in the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through.
  9. Gently heat the apricot jam in the microwave for around 20 seconds to loosen it up. Then sieve it to remove any lumps and brush it over the buns to glaze. Leave to cool and then enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Bacon and Leak Hash with Eggs and Beans

Bacon and Leak Hash with Eggs and Beans

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Did someone say brunch? Sorry it’s been a while since my last post, even on holiday things can be a little crazy. There’s a saying at Oxford that holidays (or ‘vacations’) are not times to stop working and relax but rather times when you just ‘vacate’ Oxford and go and work somewhere else. So much for rest and recuperation eh! At least my degree is basically what I do for fun anyway, so I get to spend my days drawing, cooking and planning various drama projects I’ve got lined up for next term.

So, back to brunch. When you’ve not got a lot of time on your hands what’s better than to combine two meals into one and have a hippy, hearty, filling bowl of comforting deliciousness? Since coming home I’ve basically stopped having breakfasts at all and I really miss starting the day with a hot plate of fried up morsels, so the other I decided to get off my arse and actually make myself a cooked breakfast. This bacon and leek hash might seem like a bit of a paph – especially when you can just fry up some bacon and have it with potato smiley faces from the freezer (and why not – they’re so good!) – but trust me, if you want a fancied-up snazzy brunch try adding it to your classic eggs and beans and you won’t regret it!

Recipe

Serves 2

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300g Potatoes (about 2 medium)
  • 1 Leek, trimmed, washed and sliced
  • 3 Rasher of bacon
  • A sprinkling of Paprika
  • 100g Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1 Large tin of baked beans to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Wash and chop the potatoes into small chunks. Then bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the potatoes for around 5 minutes until just cooked through. Drain and leave to steam-dry.
  2. Take a large frying pan and put it over a medium heat. Add the bacon rashers (as many as will cover the base of the pan at any one time) and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side until crispy and golden brown. Transfer the cooked bacon to a plate and repeat with the rest of the bacon until all the rashers are done. Leave until needed.
  3. Wash the leek and then cut the ends off it (top and tail). Half lengthways and then finely slice. Add the leek to the pan the bacon was cooked in and fry for 5-10 minutes until soft and starting to caramelise.
  4. Cut the bacon up with a pair of scissors to make small pieces and then add it to the leeks. Add the drained potato and paprika and mix together.
  5. Transfer the hash mixture to a small roasting tin and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy. If using cheese sprinkle a little of it over the top of the hash 5 minutes before coming out of the oven.
  6. Meanwhile prep the eggs. Spray a little oil into the pan you cooked the bacon in to add a little more grease. Then crack the eggs into the pan and leave to fry until the whites are opaque. Using a fish slice transfer them to a couple of plates.
  7. Whilst the eggs are cooking heat the beans in a pan or in a microwave until piping hot. Serve with the eggs and the hash!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Blood Orange Salad

Blood Orange Salad

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Everything’s a little bit hectic at the moment so I’ll keep this short and sweet like this salad recipe…

Blood orange + Hazelnuts + Feta cheese = an incredible combination!

Recipe

Serves 1

Time: 5-10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Blood orange
  • A handful of salad leaves
  • 1 tbsp Chopped hazelnuts
  • A little Feta (around 15g)
  • 1 tsp Clear honey
  • A small drizzle of Balsamic vinegar

Method

  1. Slice the ends of the orange and use a knife to cut the skin off. Then slice the orange horizontally into discs.
  2. Scatter some salad leaves on a plate and then arrange the blood orange on top.
  3. Sprinkle over the chopped hazelnuts, crumble over the feta and then finish with a drizzle of honey and balsamic.

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Cookie Dough Cake

Cookie Dough Cake

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So I’m officially in my 20s and the wide road of young adulthood lies before me yada yada yada. I’m starting to realise that no matter how old you get you still have no idea what’s going on – you just learn to ride the sinking boat a little better than before. But at least we’re all on that boat together and there are life savers like cookie dough and cake to keep us going. I’m talking cookie dough, in a cake, in cookie dough with cookies on it!!

So here I am, a slightly confused 20 year old with a big pile of cookie dough cake in m’ kitchen and another year of comfort cookery to come. In the meantime I still have 3/4 of this whopping cake so if anyone local wants some hmu!

 Recipe

Serves 12-16

Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

  • 75g Butter
  • 20g Brown sugar
  • 25g Caster sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp Milk
  • 65g Plain flour
  • ¼ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
  • 20g Milk chocolate chips
  • 20g Dark chocolate chips

For the cake

  • 200g Butter
  • 430g Caster sugar
  • 3 Large eggs
  • 120g Greek yogurt
  • 220ml Whole milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla bean paste
  • 420g Plain flour
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 175g Milk chocolate chips

For the buttercream

  • 300g Butter
  • 105g Brown sugar
  • 975g Icing sugar
  • 200g Plain flour
  • 8 tbsp Milk
  • 2 tsp Vanilla bean paste

To decorate

  • 100g Dark chocolate
  • 100g Double cream
  • Small cookies to decorate

Method

  1. Begin by making the cookie dough. Put the butter and sugars into a bowl and cream together until pale and creamy. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Then add the flour, salt and chocolate chips. Stir to make a smooth dough.
  2. Take the dough and split it into 12 balls. Then chill the balls in the fridge for 2 hours (or in the freezer for 1 hour).
  3. Now start the cake. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C and grease and line 3x 7.5inch cake tins with butter and baking paper.
  4. In a large bowl mix together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until pale and creamy. Whisk in one egg at a time, then whisk in the yogurt. Next whisk in the milk and vanilla, followed by the flour, baking powder and salt. Finally fold in the chocolate chips to make a smooth batter.
  5. Evenly divide the mixture between the lined tins and spread them out to make an even layer. Take the cookie dough balls out of the fridge and squash them to make ‘patties’. Then put 4 bits of cookie dough in each tin, pressing them down slightly so they’re covered in cake mix.
  6. Bake the cakes in the oven for 25-30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let the cakes cool down for 30 minutes and then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. Meanwhile make the buttercream. Put the butter and brown sugar into a bowl and beat together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the icing sugar and flour and mix again until smooth.
  8. Slowly add the milk and vanilla to the mixture, beating constantly with a spoon to make a smooth icing.
  9. When the cakes are completely cool you’re ready to start assembling. Put one of the cakes onto a board or plate and then spread 1-2 tbsp on top. Layer another cake on top and repeat with icing and cake layers.
  10. Once stacked blob half the remaining icing on top of the cake and use a palette knife to work it around the sides of the cake. This is your crumb coat so you want it to be smooth but don’t worry if you can still see the cake as you’ll put another layer on it later. Leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set.
  11. Take the cake out of the fridge and blob the rest of the icing on the top. Again, gently smooth the icing round the side of the cake to make a smooth finish. Leave in the fridge until needed.
  12. Now make the chocolate drips for the decoration. Finely chop the chocolate and put it into a heat-proof bowl. Then heat the cream in a small saucepan until just about to boil.
  13. Pour the hot cream onto chopped chocolate and stir to make a smooth ganache. Leave to cool until pourable but not hot.
  14. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use a spatula to gently push it over the side of the cake to make drips. Pipe extra icing in rosettes on the top of the cake. Then cut the cookies in half and place them around the edge of the cake and serve!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x

 
Blueberry and Pistachio Scones

Blueberry and Pistachio Scones

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Happy Mother’s Day! Today’s the day to look to our mothers and take a moment to realise how lucky we are to have them in our lives. It can be a very hard day for some – those who have lost their mums, have a difficult relationship with their mums, or may even be struggling to have children themselves.  But if that’s the case maybe take the time today to remember those who are there for you. Think of the motherly figure in your life and take a second to thank them for all they’ve done for you!

As the photo shows above, before I took to the whisk my Mum was the one cooking in the wooden-tabled-kitchen you see in all my photos. One of the many things my Mum’s done for me is introduce me to the world of cooking and set me off on the path I’m on now. As long as I can remember I’ve been sat in the kitchen at my Mother’s side, cracking eggs, sifting flour and cutting out biscuits, and I’m so grateful for it! Something that I’m still working towards is to make scones as light and scrumptious as the ones she makes. They’re always beautifully risen, golden brown and seem to come out the oven just when you need them.

For me nothing beats a good scone with lots of jam and cream and nothing makes me feel more at home than the smell of freshly baked scones just out of the oven, but I think adding some delish blueberries and pistachios into the mix makes them a little bit special for a day like today. You could also try adding strawberries, blackberries or even try playing around with different nuts if you want to work with what’s in season!

Recipe

Makes 14

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 370g Self Raising flour
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • 40g Caster sugar
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 80g Butter
  • 150g Blueberries
  • 60g Pistachios, shelled
  • 100ml Full fat milk
  • 2 Large eggs, plus 1 for glazing

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C and line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.
  2. Put the flour, baking powder, sugar and lemon zest into a bowl and mix together to combine.
  3. Add the butter to the dry ingredients and rub the butter into the flour until fully combined (the mixture should look a little like breadcrumbs).
  4. Coarsely chop the pistachios on a board and then add it to the scone mixture. Then add the blueberries and stir them into the mixture.
  5. In another bowl mix the milk and eggs and then pour this mixture into the main bowl. Mix everything together with a round-bladed knife to make a soft dough.
  6. Lightly flour your work top and turn the dough out onto it. Gently roll the dough out to about 2.5cm thick and then cut out scones using a 4cm wide cookie cutter.
  7. Break the egg into a small bowl and beat it with a fork. Then brush the beaten egg over the top of the scones to glaze.
  8. Bake the scones in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and with a firm top. Serve with jam and clotted cream!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x