Cassoulet

I cannot better this beautiful cassoulet recipe from the Pink of Perfection blog.
Sublime!
http://www.pinkofperfection.com/2011/03/french-friday-vegetarian-cassoulet-and-my-new-approach-to-bad-moods/

Banana Sultana Muffins

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

150g sultanas
1 large orange (for zest only)
100g softened butter
125g caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs
3 large or 5 small very ripe bananas (i.e. speckled black)
200g Self Raising Flour
1 level half teaspoon Baking Powder
2 tblsp golden syrup

METHOD:

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees C
• Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. 
•  Break in an egg and beat until completely combined, then break in the other egg and do the same. 
• Add the sultanas and zest of the orange and stir well.
• Mash the bananas to a pulp in another dish, then stir them into the mixture.
• Sift the flour and baking powder together into the bowl, then gently fold it in until there are no pockets of flour remaining.
• Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin.
• Bake for 25 minutes at 160 degrees C, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and the tops are golden brown and fragrant.
• Remove from the oven and leaving them in the tin for a few minutes, brush the top of each muffin with a little golden syrup, just enough to give it a shiny gleam. 
• Allow to cool a little longer, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Or start to eat them as soon as is bearable without sustaining burns, which is how we usually do things around here. 

Lemon Curd

Adapted from Tom Norrington-Davies 'Just like mother used to make'.

Yield:
1 Jam Jar

Notes:

I highly recommend Tom Norrington-Davies' book, it contains so many nice homely recipes.  I've made lots of them and they've all been good.  Anyway, to the curd:  easy to make, lovely and sharp and tangy, not the cloying sickly stuff you get from supermarkets.

Ingredients:

• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 large fresh eggs
• 100g caster sugar
• grated zest and juice of 2 big or 3 small lemons

METHOD

• Melt the butter gently and leave to one side.
• In a stand mixer (or by hand!) beat the eggs and caster sugar until pale and smooth.
• Add the lemon juice and keep whisking.
• Add the the melted butter and keep whisking a little longer.
• Tranfer the mixture to a heavy bottomed saucepan, and over a low medium heat, cook the mixture stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens to setting point.  This can take up to ten minutes.  You'll be able to tell it's reached a set, because it will have thickened enough to leave a comet trail trace when you drag the spoon through. 
• Decant into a sterilised jar and seal, and allow to cool, then refrigerate.  Leave at least a couple of hours to fully set before eating.
• Keeps for two weeks in the fridge.
• Lovely on toast, in ice cream or as lemon tarts.

Note:  to sterilise a used jar, first soak and scrube both glass and lid in very hot sudsy water.  Rinse with hot water, and place jar and lid on a baking tray in an oven at temp. 140 degrees C for 15 minutes or until all the water has evaporated.  Remove and allow to cool a few minutes before using.

Cherry Chocolate Delight Bars

Serves:
10 Slices

Notes:

This is no cook, heat on hob, throw together, and chill in fridge for 4 hours.
You will need a shallow square 18cm (7") cake tin, pyrex or tray, bottom lined with a piece of greaseproof or baking paper.

Ingredients:

• 124g butter
• 75g Golden Syrup
• 150g bar deluxe chocolate (Menier or Green and Blacks 70% or similar)
• 175g whole rolled porridge oats
• 50g dessicated coconut
• 50g glace cherries, quartered.

METHOD

• Melt together the butter, syrup and chocolate in a saucepan.
• Remove from heat and stir in the coconut, oats and cherries.
• Spoon the mixture into a base-lined (with greaseproof or baking paper) shallow 18cm tin or tray.
• Smooth surface and chill until firm, about 4 hours.
• Turn out and cut into 10 generous bars.

Vegetarian 'Meat' Loaf

Vegetarian Meatloaf

This is a recipe for meatloaf, of my very own invention. 
'cause I would do anything for love, but I won't do *that*.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 x 454g bag frozen soya mince (I used Tesco own brand, I have yet to try Quorn but sure it would work just as well).
1 x medium onion, peeled
1 x clove garlic
--
2 x large eggs
2 x heaped tblsp rolled (porridge) oats
2 x slices white bread
--
1 x OXO vegetable stock cube dissolved in 200ml boiling water
1 x tsp dried thyme
1 x tsp dried oregano
1 x tblsp dried parsley
1 x tsp English mustard
2 x tsp Worcester Sauce
1 x tsp Marmite
2 x dsp Tomato Ketchup
Generous seasoning of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil, for frying and greasing


METHOD:

1.  In a food processor, chop to a fine mince the onion and garlic.  Remove these to a frying pan and gently fry in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and just beginning to brown.  Put these into the food processor.
2.  In the same pan (now empty) heat the mince through until soft and beginning to brown.  Set aside.
3.  In a heatproof jug, put the 200ml boiling water and dissolve the stock cube in it.  Stir in all the other flavourings to make a loose paste.
4.  Add the bread and the oatmeal into the processor and pulse until crumbed.  Then add the flavourings and eggs and pulse briefly to combine, then finally add the mince and whizz until a sausagemeat like mixture is obtained, just 10 seconds or so.
5.  Scoop the mixture into a well oiled bread tin and cover with oiled foil, pressing the foil gently down so it's in contact with the top of the loaf.
6.  Bake in centre of preheated oven at 180c for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 15-20 minutes uncovered, until the surface is nice and firm and a skewer inserted into the loaf comes out clean.
7.  Service with mashed potatoes, a green vegetable, or if like me you can't wait...just as it is with a giant dollop of ketchup!

Wyn's Bread Pudding

My late mother made legendary bread pudding.   It is a great way to use up leftover bread, when you get to the end of the loaf and it's gone a bit dry, this is what to do with it.

People would talk about 'Wyn's Bread Pudding' in hushed tones.  My father called it 'ballast' - which is not as rude as it sounds.  One piece can keep you going for many hours!  :) 

If you have never had it before, it's like a cross between pudding and cake - you slice it into pieces.  I like it hot straight from the oven, fruity, spicy, gorgeous with a nice cup of builder's tea.  Some people like it cold, with cream.  Some with custard.  Whatever floats your boat!

My mum never worked from recipes, she just fecked in some of this and some of that, and it always came out the same.  I need instructions, however!  So, I have spent some time tinkering with this, and now think I have the PERFECT bread pudding recipe.  But feel free to mess with it yourself  It does stand abuse, as my brothers will testify!

Serves: 4/6

Ingredients:
8oz/225g slices brown or white bread, roughly torn into about 1" pieces.
10 fl oz / 275 ml milk
2 oz / 50g melted butter plus extra for greasing.
3 oz / 75g soft brown sugar
2 generous teaspoons mixed spice
1 beaten egg
50g glace cherries
125g of currants, raisins and sultanas (or any combo of them - I like equal quantities of each, but just make sure that together with the cherries you have 175g or 6oz in total.  It's not a disaster)
Grated rind of one large orange
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg


METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, Gas 4, 350F.

Tear up the bread into a large bowl, and pour over the milk. 
Stir, cover with a teacloth and leave for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Grease a pyrex dish - 3" shallow and about 2 pints is ideal.

After 30 minutes, beat the egg, butter, sugar and spices into the bread mixture with a fork, making sure that it is nice and smooth in consistency. 

Stir in the fruit and grated orange rind.

Spread evenly in the pyrex dish and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little extra sugar, and leave to cool. 

When still warm, cut into 2" squares. 

Store in an airtight tin.

Lettuce Soup

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:
1 x large lettuce (about  ¾ lb).  [It is ok to use lettuces that have 'bolted'.]
1 medium onion
1 oz butter
2 level tablespoons flour
 ¾ pint hot vegetable stock
 ¾ pint milk
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Slice the onion and sweat it in the butter for a few minutes over a medium/low heat.
Coarsely shred the lettuce leaves, add to the pan, cover and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Stir in the flour well, and then pour on the hot stock and milk.
Continue to stir while the soup comes to the boil.  Season, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Using a blender whizz to a smooth consistency, or pass through a sieve.
To serve immediately, return the soup to the pan and bring back to the boil.  Test for seasoning and serve.  A swirl of cream on the top is a nice retro touch!

To freeze, allow to cool and freeze in lidded plastic containers.