Jam Drops

Posted on July 10, 2015 by kathandkate

Ah yes, and those jam drops.  How could we forget those red gems that sat beneath the Chocolate Rough Slice at the annual birthday celebration. Be prepared folks, for a tale of hope, triumph, despair, hope again and yes, triumph.

Jam drops have an appealing simplicity, but I’m often disappointed with the final result.  That darn hollow where the jam is meant to sit always seems to rise a little too much.  So I am quietly hopeful, but ready to be disappointed when I start this.

You will need:

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 6 tblsp butter
  • 2 eggs
  • Jam
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ¼ cup sugar (extra)

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Do this:

1. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add eggs.  Beat well, then add flour and baking powder.  Stir to form a soft dough.

2. Roll into small balls and dip in sugar (hello, this is new.  I’m not so sure, all this sugar seems a little excessive?)

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3. Place on lightly greased trays.  Press small holes into balls and put a tsp of jam in each. (So far so good).

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4. Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 15-20 minutes.

They are beautiful! They are perfect! And that extra sugar that I was so disgusted by gives them a delectable crunch!

This all seems perfect I hear you mutter.  Where is the despair?  The disaster? Please see below.  You will find a photo of the jam drops after they slid off the baking tray onto the floor.  Unlike a cat, none of them fell on their feet.  All jam down.  Humph.

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I kept my cool.  I picked them up, feeling relieved that the floors had only just been cleaned.  I scraped out the jam and replaced it with new jam.  I dared to stick them back in the oven for a couple of minutes to cook the jam a little.

Like all good stories, this has a happy ending. They survived.  No, they were not the most attractive of biscuits, but they were good on the inside.  And like all things in life, isn’t that what counts?

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Kath & Kate xx

 

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Tip of the Week #3

Posted on July 8, 2015 by kathandkate

A nutritious way to thicken casseroles is to use packet potato mix….hhmmmmm

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I tested this and managed to create a soup full of little gelatinous balls. Perhaps trying this one with a blender is best.

Have a bonus tip on me:

Brussel sprouts are ‘baby’ cabbages.  Don’t overcook them or an unpleasant sulphur smell will develop (not to mention they will taste horrible).

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Chocolate Rough Slice

Posted on July 5, 2015 by kathandkate

Ah yes, it is that time of year again.  Birthday month.  Not mine alas.  But it seems that most of those in my life decided to enter the world at the same time.  This is convenient, as the month long celebration helps dull the pain that winter is upon us.

This year the family birthday celebrations were at mine.  The table buckled under the weight of all the goodies that the family brought along – Hannah’s perfect chocolate chip cookies, Cathy’s famous scones with jam and cream, Nana Pat’s beautiful moist boiled orange cake, Gillian’s delicious homemade hummus with crunchy fresh veggies and Andrew and Vicki’s zesty lemon cake.  Nana’s beautiful Noritaki crockery was set neatly on the table, ready to be filled with warm Scottish Breakfast tea and strong hot coffee.  And amid the mayhem, Mum’s cake stand stood regally, laden with Nana’s Jam Drops and Chocolate Rough Slice.

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Sitting pretty before all the food arrived

Chocolate Rough Slice

And so we begin with the slice.  You may be aware of my slice trepidation.  This slice was no different.  Perhaps I should name this slice-xiety.  Nana’s kitchen was always clear when she cooked.  Nothing cluttering up the bench.  I would like to think that I could be like this.  But I am not the same calm, gently woman.  I am a frantic ball of dottiness.  The result of this can be seen below.  This was what my kitchen looked like when I baked the slice…not at all conducive to decreasing slice-xiety.

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Clear your work space people. Please.

For the base:
– 4 oz. butter or substitute (this is about 120 grams)
– 1/3 cup castor sugar
– 1/4 cup coconut
– 1 cup self-raising flour
– 1 dessertspoon cocoa
– pinch salt

For the Chocolate Rough Topping:
– 3 tablespoons condensed milk (what! 3 tablespoons! I made Karen’s famous ice cream with the rest – delicious)
– 1 tablespoon cocoa
– cup sifted icing sugar
– 1 oz. butter or substitute (about 30 grams)
– 1 cup coconut
– 1 teaspoon vanilla

Do this:

Sift the dry ingredients into basin (no not your sink, a bowl), add sugar and coconut; stir in melted butter, mixing well. Press into greased and lined 11inch x 7inch lamington tin. I’ve always been confused as to whether the measurement is taken from the top of the pan or the bottom. Turns out it is from the top.

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Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 25 minutes.

Cool slightly on wire rack; cover with Chocolate Rough Topping while still warm. What? Where were those instructions There’s this assumption in all of Nana’s recipes that you’ve read the whole recipe first – who does that?…what, you do?…oops. This is when my slice-xiety really kicked in, frantically making this topping before the slice cooled. Relax though, you’ll find them below – hopefully you read this through first.

Chocolate Rough Topping:
Combine all ingredients in basin (get another bowl out), mix well.

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Note: there were some nervous moments when trying to smooth this over the base. Perhaps mine had cooled a little too much, but it seemed to be sticking to me and not to the base. I used my fingers and made sure I had really clean, very slightly damp fingers. This really helped.

I then put mine in the fridge to cool and cut it into squares a few hours later.

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Slice-xiety gone. This slice is ace, probably one of my favourites so far.
Enjoy!

Kath & Kate xx

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Cornflake Biscuits

Posted on June 30, 2015 by kathandkate

There is an awkwardly large 725g box of cornflakes sitting in my cupboard left over from the Lemon Cornflake Coconut Cups.  I could make more of them, but I’m 3 batches down already and it’s time to try something new.  Cornflakes are a fairly regular feature in the recipes in Nana’s books, but today is a day for something simple.  Today is a no beating, no creaming, no scales day.  Today is a cornflake biscuits day.

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You will need:
– 2 cups of cornflakes
– 1 cup flour
– 1/2 cup coconut
– 3/4 cup brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon of treacle or golden syrup
– 1/2 cup butter
– 1/2 teaspoon bi-carb soda
– 2 tablespoons hot water

Do this:

Mix the sifted flour with the cornflakes, coconut and brown sugar.

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Dissolve the butter, treacle/golden syrup and bi-carb soda in the hot water – and enjoy that satisfying hiss.
My butter refused to dissolve in this, so I simmered a little water in a pan and put my bowl over it until it melted. If you have a microwave you could probably pop it in there for a few seconds.

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Combine the two mixtures. Bake in small heaps (mine where a heaped tablespoon) in a slow to moderate oven for 20-30 minutes until firm and crisp. I missed the word slow and put mine on at 180 degrees. I got quite a shock when 15 minutes later the top rack were looking fairly dark – luckily I had put some in on the bottom rack a few minutes after. 180 degrees is a little high people, go for 160 degrees instead.

These felt like ANZAC biscuits for kids. They had a beautiful crunch.  Perfect with a cup of tea.

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Kath & Kate xx

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Beef Creole

Posted on June 24, 2015 by kathandkate

Finally, a pineapple and tomato soup free stew…This one is a crowd pleaser and smells like pizza.  How could you say no?

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You will need:

– one and a half pounds of stewing steak (about 700g)
– 4 tablespoons of seasoned flour
– a few bacon pieces
– 2 tablespoons of margarine
– 2 sliced onions
– 1 clove of garlic (garlic’s first appearance on this blog!)
– 1 1/2 cups stock
– 1/2 pound of tomatoes (close enough to 250g)
– 1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs (we only had some dried oregano in the cupboard so we added some of this, as well as some fresh thyme and rosemary)
– 1/2 green pepper
– salt and pepper

Do this:

Cut meat into cubes, roll in seasoned flour. Melt margarine in pan, add meat, saute until well browned. Add onions, crushed garlic, chopped bacon; cook further 5 minutes. Add herbs and stock; stir in a little of remaining flour. Cover, continue cooking until meat is tender (allow a couple of hours). About 15 minutes before end of cooking time, add peeled, chopped tomatoes (ok so I didn’t bother peeling them) and thinly sliced green pepper; season to taste. Serve with hot rice.

Perfect for a chilly winter evening!

What’s your go to stew?

Kath & Kate x

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Tip of the week #2

Posted on June 22, 2015 by kathandkate

Pesky surplus citrus fruit? This tip from ‘A Feast from your Freezer’ is for you:

  • Oranges and lemons can be frozen whole, unpeeled. When thawed they are suitable for juicing. Oranges cut into quarters and frozen can be served to children as iceblocks.
  • Freeze orange and lemon peel and grate when still frozen. Much easier.

 

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Lemon Cornflake Coconut Cups

Posted on June 17, 2015 by kathandkate

Move over Honey Joys, there’s a new kid in town. He’s zesty, crunchy and just a little sweet.
This recipe might well become my go-to. It’s incredibly simple and delicious.

Ingredients:
– 2 cups cornflakes
– 1/2 cup coconut (I used shredded coconut)
– 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
– 1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
– 1 tablespoon lemon juice
– 2 tablespoons water
– 125g butter
– extra coconut (I left this out)

1.Combine cornflakes, coconut and lemon rind in bowl.
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2.Combine brown sugar, lemon juice, water and butter together in pan, stir over heat, without boiling, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat, boil for 5 minutes, without stirring, or until mixture thickens (enough to coat the back of a spoon). The first time I did this the sugar mixture hadn’t thickened up enough and so the cornflakes didn’t hold together as well as they should. The next time, I let the sugar mixture bubble more furiously. It took more than 5 minutes, but it was a lot thicker and held the cornflakes together much better.

3.Pour sugar mixture into cornflake mixture, mix well.
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4.Drop tablespoons into small, paper patty cases (I used those mini muffin cases and just filled these). Sprinkle with extra coconut. Refrigerate until set.
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5.This should make about a dozen of these crunchy delights.

These are not as honey joys, which isn’t really a problem.  I kept mine in the fridge and this helped.

Kath & Kate x

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Tip of the Week #1

Posted on June 14, 2015 by kathandkate

Nana’s book are not only full of recipes.  It turns out that she was also a ‘handy hints’ collector.  These range from the genuinely helpful to the questionable (watch this space for the original health drink!)

There are too many of these snippets of wisdom not to share.

Tip of the Week #1

Helpful Hints for Perfect Cakes

  • If results are to be perfect, once the mixing has started, do not stop until the cake is in the oven.  This means you must have everything ready before you start to mix….(oops)
  • Prepare the tins first, as described in the recipes.  If you have to stop in the middle of mixing the cake to prepare the tins, the batter will lose its bulk and the cake will not be so light…(my failures are starting to make sense).

Nana and Mum were always telling me these things.  I never listened (hello Zucchini-Carrot Yoghurt cake).  Turns out there was something to it…

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Zucchini-Carrot Yoghurt Cake

Posted on June 11, 2015 by kathandkate

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There is always a period of apprehension after putting a cake in the oven.  Will it work?  Should the mixture have been that thick?  Should I have measured the ingredients more carefully?  Why didn’t I bother sifting the flour?!  These were my thoughts after putting this cake into the oven.

It’s time to admit it.  I am not a patient cook.  I can’t bear waiting for butter and sugar to cream! I can’t wait for things to cool.  You get the picture.  I am also notorious for using recipes more as suggestions.  Don’t have any of this?  No problem, I’ll swap it for that.  Can’t find my scales?  No worries, I’ll guess.  This is probably why baking has always left me frustrated.  It turns out you really do need to be precise.

So when I decided to embark on this project I also decided to be the kind of cook that measured everything out into tiny little bowls beforehand.  To clear my workspace.  To be patient.  I had been doing so well…until now.

The kitchen was a mess so I perched everything on a tiny corner of the bench.  I had just come in from work and didn’t bother to take my coat off.  I’m still wearing it as I write this.  BUT, zucchinis had infiltrated my fridge and I had to act NOW OR IT WOULD BE TOO LATE!  I rifled through Nana’s books to find something that most closely resembled what I had in my cupboards.  Zucchini-Carrot Yoghurt Cake hello!

So here we go folks:

125g butter or margarine
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchinis) – first fail…I did not read this properly.  Let’s just say I had to put grated zucchini in a few more meals.
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrot (about 1 medium carrot)
1/3 cup plain natural yoghurt (yes another one of these infuriating thirds!)
2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour (I realised here that I didn’t have any, so swapped if for 1 cup of SR flour & 1 of spelt flour with 2 teaspoons of baking powder)

It goes on:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (I was patient). Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in zucchini, carrot and yoghurt, then sifted flour (should it look this disgusting?). Return husks from sifter to mixture (obviously no need for me to worry about this). Spread mixture into well-greased 20x20cm ring tin (What? A ring tin? Oh, no. Not in the cupboard. Phone call to Mum to confirm she owns ring tin. Dash into the car, still wearing slippers. Have to get this done before German class!) Then bake in moderate oven for 30 minutes or until cooked when tested (looks ok. Golden brown, risen.). Stand a few minutes before turning it on to wire rack to cool.

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So, did I pull it off? Simon’s description of the cake “moist, light and guilt free”…I’ll take that.

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Lemon Tea Loaf

Posted on June 5, 2015 by kathandkate

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When life gives you lemons, make this lemon tea loaf.

Lemons are a sneaky fruit.  Whenever I need a lemon there are never any to hand.  When I have no use for one, they seem to multiply uncontrollably in the fruit bowl.  This was the predicament I found myself in on the weekend.  Nana was well prepared for lemon fruit-bowl invasion.  There are lots of recipes in her books that I could have committed my lemons to.  However this one caught my eye.

Why? Walnuts.

Mum is a walnut snob (sorry for outing you like this Kaye).  There was a walnut tree on the farm that legend has it, produced ‘thheeeeee most delicious walnuts’.  Walnuts so delicious that you will probably never enjoy any other walnut again.  Exhibit A – Kaye.

This recipes comes from a little newspaper cut out which professes it to be “one of the best and freshest-tasting tea breads you will ever make.” And taste? Read on!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
125g butter
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Grated rind 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Topping
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

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Do this
Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Rub in butter using fingertips. Mix beaten eggs and milk, stir into flour mixture, then fold in lemon rind and walnuts.

Pour into a greased and base-lined 21x15cm loaf tin (ours was a little smaller).

Bake in a moderate oven (180C) for 1 1/4 hours or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took about 50 minutes so keep an eye on it.

For the topping:
Mix lemon juice and the sugar together. When cake is cooked and still hot, drizzle over the top. Allow to cool in tin.

Everyone really enjoyed this cake. As advertised it was lovely and fresh. It was also lovely and light and zesty. I’ll be ready for you next time lemons!

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