Peanut Butter and Brown Sugar Cookies

Well it certainly has been a few weeks since I was last here, I didn't realise it was so long! I have spent two of those weeks in Cornwall hoping for warm sun and rock pooling but instead got rain rain rain non-stop for nearly the whole trip, this is without a doubt the worst summer I have experienced in the 27 years I have lived on this earth! A couple of days ago we had a tiny bit of sunshine so I sat in the garden and made my peanut butter cookie dough until of course it started raining again around half an hour later, sigh.....

 25g Crunchy peanut butter

25g smooth peanut butter

50g Butter

25g caster sugar

25g Muscadova sugar

1 Egg beaten

100g plain flour

1/2tsp baking powder

 

Very simple recipe, just beat all your ingredients together to form a dough.

 

If the dough is a bit sticky put it in the fridge for half so it's easier to work with.

 Grab walnut sized pieces of dough and press with a fork, make sure you leave enough space in between as they will spread out when cooking.

I crumbled some muscadova sugar on the top of my cookies for extra crunch and sweetness.

I baked my cookies for 15-20 mins on gas mark 6, they still had slightly chewy centres which I love.

Cookies and milk, American thing I know but it really does work!

Bye sun.....

Summer Berry Crumble

Rain sun, rain sun, rain sun....... Make your mind up weather (choose sun please)...This is a recipe that has summer berries to remind you it is ment to be Summer but also has a lovely buttery, almond crumble topping that is perfect on one of these rainy nights we've been having.

4 Apples peeled and cored
Half a punnet of strawberries hulled and cut in half
Large handful of blueberries
Raspberries (mind had gone mouldy so had to leave them out)
Caster sugar
Muscovado sugar
Half a pack of butter
Flour
Ground Almonds

Toss the fruit in a bit of caster sugar and add a small amount of water.

Next make your crumble topping by rubbing together butter, flour, ground almonds, caster sugar and muscovado sugar which gives it a nice caramelised flavour.

I love crumble with a scoop of really good quality vanilla ice cream or if your lucky then home-made is the best of all.

Duck Pancake Rolls

I love duck pancake rolls, it's my favourite thing to get from the Chinese although I can't even remember the last time I actually got a Chinese because let's be honest they are generally a  disappointment and I always end up feeling a bit sick so making my own was the only way to go.

 

To do proper Chinese roast duck it takes many hours but I just did two duck legs which I pricked the skin of, poured boiling water over and then dried with a hairdryer to make the skin as crispy as possible. I then covered the skin in honey and Chinese five spice powder before slow roasting in the oven.

After around an hour in the oven the skin was crispy and fell off the bone. I was naughty and bought the pancakes and Hoi Sin sauce from the local Asian supermarket.

 

They were just as delicious as the ones from the takeaway and I had ten of them, yes that's right ten.

 

 Now go make some of your own and eat ten or maybe even twelve, go crazy!

Hollandaise Sauce

 I have always been a bit to frightened to make hollandaise sauce as the few time I have it has gone wrong, but at last I have made it with no problems by following Nigel Slaters recipe from his book 'Appetite' which I recently bought and absolutely adore. It's not your run of the mill recipe book, if you are the kind of person who loves reading cookery books like a fiction book then this is perfect and I urge you to go out and buy a copy, I spent the whole day reading it from cover to cover....

Hollandaise Sauce from 'Appetite' by Nigel Slater

3 Large Egg Yolks
250g Butter
Half a lemon







Put a pan of water on to boil and find a glass or heatproof china bowl that will fit neatly into it without actually touching the water. Add the yolks and a splash of water. Whisk, pouring in the melted butter, slowly.




When the sauce thickens up whisk a little faster. Once it is thick and creamy, squeeze in a little lemon juice. And if it starts to curdle either add an ice cube or a splash of boiling water and that should do the trick according to Nigel!




And what better way to enjoy hollandaise sauce than with egg's benedict? Well with the new season asparagus actually but the shops had all sold out..

Beef Shin Ragu

Beef shin is one of my favourite cuts of meat, It's amazing in slow cooked stews and pasta sauces and I would choose it over stewing or braising steak every time as I think it has more flavour and falls apart a bit more easily. Here is really easy recipe for a ragu sauce to go with pasta which I think is great food for the weather were having, it's not cold but bloody rainy!
Although this is a very easy dish to prepare and cook you need a whole day to do it as it's takes around 4/5 hours to cook but is very very worth it.

800g Beef Shin cut into chunks
2 Large Carrot
2 Large celery sticks or several smaller ones
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
A tin of good quality tomatoes
A handful of cherry tomatoes
A squidge of tomato puree
2 bay leaves
2/3 sage leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bottle of half decent red
500ml of good beef/chicken stock
Parmesan/Pecerino to sprinkle on top





 Fry the beef in batches so it brown's and does not steam and then remove the it to a plate, and set aside.


Add the diced vegetables and herbs to the casserole dish and sweat them gently for 10-15 minutes until soft but not coloured.


Return the meat to the pan, and add the wine, stock, and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, then half cover it and simmer on the stove top for around 4/5 hours or you can put it in the oven if you prefer






When it's done serve with pasta, salad and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan

Cherry Fridge Cake

At last I have the internet again, it has been nearly a month without it and to be honest I didn't really miss it that much but it has been frustrating not being able to blog. I hated the thought of my blog just sitting there looking like she had been abandoned! Anyway enough of that and here is a very simple and very delicious recipe for a fridge that cake that I have adapted from 'The Hummingbird Bakery' cookbook.

400g Unsalted Butter
200ml Golden Syrup
100g Cocoa Powder
800g Digestive Biscuits
200g Raisins
10 Glace Cherry's
100g Milk Chocolate
100g Dark Chocolate

 






 Melt the butter in a pan
 

Then add the golden syrup and cocoa powder

 Next crush the biscuits

Mix the cherry's and raisins together and put the chocolate mixture into the mixing bowl along with the bars of chocolate broken into chunks

Put it in a baking tray and leave in the fridge to set for a few hours or overnight

Yummy yummy fridge cake, I love the texture of the biscuits,cherry's and raisins.
So easy to make with little effort but it is not healthy in ant was what so ever and hard to not keep eating strait from the fridge! I heated a slice up and had it with clotted cream ice cream, also not good for your health!
 

NO INTERNET

I will be back asap, I just don't have the internet at my new house yet so please bear with me!x