Cheese and Caraway Sables

 

A few weeks back the people from Barber's 1833 Vintage Cheddar sent me a pack which included everything in it to make Spinach and Cheese Souffles.   I love it when that happens.   I made the soufflees the very next day.  I just could not wait to make them.  Everything was so fresh and looked so good.



I am a very experienced cook as you know.   As I was making them I queried a part of the recipe, which didn't quite look right and I almost  went with my gut feelings and did it the way I thought it should be done . . . but then I thought  to myself, no . . . you need to do this the way "their" recipe says to do it and so that is what I did.



What I ended up with was some very tasty failures as soufflees. They were more like omelettes, and they took twice as long as the recipe stated to bake . . . they were not soufflees.  We ate them anyways, and they were good, but not near what they should have been.

 

I should have gone with my gut instincts and done what I thought in the first place, but live and learn.  I will not give you their recipe as it is in error.  I didn't have any spinach left to do more and had in mind to  buy some more and try again, but I just haven't gotten around to that, so today I picked another recipe from out of their booklet and made these . . .



Cheddar Cheese and Caraway Sables from on the Barber's 1833 Vintage site.   I thought they would make the perfect pre-dinner nibble for Valentine's Dinner.



They turned out beautifully.   The dough was quite sticky.  I ended up freezing it prior to slicing it for baking and that worked perfectly.  I used a very sharp knife.

 

They were crisp, and buttery and filled with lots of beautiful cheese flavours.  Success!   The caraway went very well with the cheddar.   We love these.

*Cheddar Cheese and Caraway Sables*

Makes about 4 dozen

Printable Recipe

A recipe adapted from the Barber's 1933 Vintage Reserve Cheddar site.

100g Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar, grated (3 1/2 ounces)

100g butter, softened (scant 7 TBS)

100g plain flour (16 TBS)

1 medium egg yolk, beaten with 2 TBS cold water

caraway seeds to garnish  

Place the cheese, butter and flour into a food processor and blitz until it forms a dough.  Shape into a roll about 1 1/2inches in diameter. 

Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.   Line several baking sheets with baking paper.   Slice the well chilled roll into very thin discs.   Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets.

Brush the tops of each with some of the egg wash and sprinkle with a few caraway seeds.

Bakein the heated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until pale golden brown and slightly puffed.  Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Note:  You can also freeze the dough, wrapped tightly in freezer proof paper.  I was able to cut it quite easily with a sharp knife from a frozen state, and they baked in the same amount of time.   They are so thin that the dough was completely thawed by the time I had sliced, brushed and sprinkled.



The Barber family have been farming and making cheese at Maryland Farm in Somerset since 1833.   It is always matured for a minimum of 24 months.  I do so hope that they are ok with all the flooding that's been going on in Somerset.

I found the  Barber's 1833 Cheddar   to be an exemplar product.It had a lovely flavour, intense, with a delicious depth to it.  It is kind of brittle with a somewhat crunchy texture from little crystals which are scattered throughout.  These are a result of it's long slow aging and only added to this lovely cheese's charm.



I would buy this cheese in a heartbeat!   It was easily one of the best cheddar's I have eaten since coming to the UK, and I have been able to try quite a few different ones.     This was to be perfectly honest . . . simply beautiful.

Jalapeno Pepper Jam Baked Brie and Valentines Day . . .

I was recently sent a gift pack from Godminster Cheese, just in time for Valentines day . . . their sweet "Heart to Heart" set,   is a tasty combination of a delicious 200g Vintage Organic Cheddar and 150g Heart-Shaped Organic Brie, both heart shaped and presented in their very own unique gift box.



 Godminster Vintage Cheddar is completely organic, containing no preservatives and encased in a ruby coloured wax.  There is no need to remove the wax as it makes the perfect case to keep it in.  You can simply slice the top off and scoop out the cheese and then replace the "lid" when you are done.  Best served at room temperature, this lovely chedddar is rich and creamy.  Quite delicious!

Godminster Traditional Organic Brie, is an organic soft cheese, created using fresh milk from the Godminster Farm.  With it's fresh flavour and creamy texture, this was also quite delicious.



Inclued as well was a round of their lovely Organic Brie which I decided to do something interesting with.   I wanted to make something which would be wonderful as an appetizer for your Valentines Day Celebrations.

Brie cheese is just wonderful baked . . . it melts beautifully and it's delicious flavour and texture are a wonderful canvas upon with to layer other flavours.



I cut it in half whilst it was still really, really cold from the fridge and then place the bottom round, cut side up on a square of Puff pastry.  



I spread the creamy top of the bottom layer with some Jalapeno Pepper Jam that I had picked up at Morrisons at Christmas time but hadn't had occasion to use yet.  It was so pretty and jewel-like . . . and flecked with lots of red jalapeno pepper flakes.  I then placed the other half on top and covered encased the round completely with the puff pastry, sealing it shut.  (You want to do this really well or you could have a blow out!)



I decorated the top with heart cutouts placed in a round to resemble a pretty blossom, with a few little stamen balls in the centre, and then brushed the whole thing with some beaten egg yolk and ater.



Fifteen minutes later we were rewarded with gloriously rich and creamy gooey brie mixed with that hot pepper jam . . . perfect for spreading onto soft slices of a fresh French loaf . . . and topped with a few leaves of rocket . . .

 

Or  onto buttery  pepper crackers, and served with some crisp slices of a sweet red eating apple, it went down a real treat.   We both enjoyed this immensely.  Not only was it attractive, but it was quite simply . . . delicious.  How often do you get an appetizer that is so delicious without having put much effort into it.  I would serve this to anyone . . .

* Jalapeno Pepper Jam Baked Brie*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

This is the easiest and tastiest appetizer.  Everyone loves it.  

1 8-oz wheel of Brie Cheese

1/2 package of all butter, ready roll puff pastry

4 TBS Jalapeno Pepper Jam

1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp water  

To serve (optional)

Sliced French Baguette

crisp crackers

rocket leaves
sliced apples  

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper.  Set aside. 

You will want your cheese to be really cold.  Using a sharp knife, cut the cheese in half horizontally through the middle.  Place the sheet of puff pastry onto the lined baking sheet.  Place the bottom half of the brie in the middle.  Spread the Pepper Jam over top almost to the edges.  Top with the other half of the Brie, cut side down.   Cut the corners off the pastry, so you have a rough circle shape.   Brush the edges of the circle with some beaten egg.   Bring the pastry up to cover the round of Brie, folding and pinching to seal.  Using the scraps cut out decorative shapes to decorate.  Brush the outside of the pastry with some egg and then place the cutouts on top of where you have sealed the Brie shut in a decorative manner.  Brush them with egg too.   

Bang the Brie into the preheated oven.  Bake for 15 minutes or so until the pastry is crisp and golden brown.  Place on a serving board and arrange with crackers, sliced baguette, some rocket and sliced apple.




You can purchase the Godminster Heart to Heart set    of cheeses on the Godminster site for £17.45
Do visit their page for information of stockists near you, and other information about their products.

Although I was given this cheese to try out, all opinions are expressly my own.  It was to be perfectly honest . . . quite simply lovely.  Many thanks to Godminster for sending it to us.  I would buy this cheese quite happily for any special occasion.

A few Nibbles for New Years

   

We did a One Night in Bethlehem activity at our chapel prior to Christmas.   We tried to serve all biblical or middle eastern foods . . .  finger foods, foods that would make great nibbles for the New Year's Eve Buffet table.

  

I made this lovely feta dip, which was really delicious and tangy and so simple to make.  It is basically just feta cheese, olive oil, thyme and lemon zest and juice blitzed until smooth in the food processor or blender.   Very simple really.  

  

It was absolutely wonderful!   It was nice served with vegetables for dipping and crackers for spreading.  You want something crisp to go with the smooth richeness of this dip.   It went down a real treat.  

*Creamy Feta Dip*

Makes about 2 cups

Printable Recipe  

Creamy, sharp and herby.   Goes well with toasted pita chips, raw vegetables, crackers.   Quick and easy to make. 

400g feta cheese (1 3/4 cups)

125ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup)

1 fat clove of garlic, peeled

the finely grated zest of two unwaxed lemons

the juice of two lemons

fine sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

a few springs of fresh thyme 

To finish:
a drizzle of olive oil
a few thyme leaves  

  

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth.  Cover and chill until needed.  Place into a serving bowl.  Drlzzle the top with some extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves.  



I also made these lovely little Lamb Kofta Meatballs.  Spicy and just wonderful served with some pita breads and Tzatziki for dipping.    You could fry them if you wanted to, but I just bake them in the oven because they brown nicely, evenly and as lamb is a rather fatty meat anyways it helps to cut down on some of that extra fat.

*Kofta Meatballs*
Makes about 20

Printable Recipe  

Moist and spicy.  Serve with some Tzatziki sauce for dipping.  (Your own or purchased) 

2 pounds lean ground lamb

1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced

1/2 bunch of fresh flat leaf parsely, finely chopped

1 TBS ground cumin

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

fine sea salt and fine black pepper to taste 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6.   Have ready several rimmed baking sheets.  Place the cumin, cinnamon and allspice into a dry frying pan.  Cook over medium heat until very fragrant.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool. 

Crumble the meat into a bowl.   Add the chopped onion, parsley and cooled spices.   Season with salt and pepper.  (If you wish you may cook a small bit of this in the frying pan and taste it to see if you have seasoned it correctly.)   Shape the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place them evenly spaced on the baking trays.  Bake in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until nicely browned and cooked through.  Serve warm or at room temperature with sauce for dipping if desired.  

Note: These are also nice served hot and tucked into warm Pita Breads with some lettuce and sauce. 

Happy New Year!  Have fun and stay safe!

A Trio of Nifty Appetizers for the Holidays

I do get sent the neatest things.  I was recently sent a variety of really nice appetizer pastries to use for the holidays.



Pidy UK have recently launched a selection of their deliciously famous canapés for the retail market, the range contains a combination of their most unique and interesting shaped pastry vol-au-vents. All the products are made with their award winning pastry recipe that the Pidy family initially created in their little patisserie shop in Ypres, Belgium back in 1952.

Pidy is an innovative Belgian family food business established in the world of ready to fill pastry products. Pidy are a world leader in dry puff pastry and also competitive in short crust, fonçage dough, choux pastry and sponge cakes. With three production units in Belgium, France and the USA,  Pidy are able to offer the perfect day to day service and market support to their customers in more than 50 countries world wide. Pidy supply a range of products to the foodservice and retail industry which includes chefs, restaurants, cafes, bakery, patisserie, catering, retail and cash and carry.




First up are these delightful little spoon shaped pastries.  They came 12 in the pack and were just the right size for one tasty little bite.    I created a Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato filling for them, which turned out really nice.  The cups were crisp and just the perfect texture to go with the filling with no apparent outstanding flavors that would detract from whatever you put into them.  They worked out very well.

*Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Spread*

16 servings

Printable Recipe

Don't fill your little cups until just before serving so that they stay nice and crisp.  Delicious.  All the flavors of your favourite sandwich in a small bite!  You can make the mayonnaise mixture ahead of time, as well as preparing your other ingredients and then just put them together at the last minute.

110g mayonnaise (1/2 cup)

1 (250g) package of cream cheese (8 ounces)

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

a couple of lettuce leaves, finely shredded

4 slices of streaky smoked bacon, cooked crisp and then crumbled

1 small tomato, de-seeded and chopped.

1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced

40g strong cheddar cheese, grated (1/3 cup)

16 crisp appetizer cups

Stir the mayonnaise, cream cheese and black pepper together.  Spoon an equal portion of this mixture into the bottom of each cup.  Top each with some lettuce, chopped bacon, chopped tomato, spring onion and cheese.  Serve immediately.

Alternately you can layer this in a nice shallow bowl for dipping or spreading on crackers, leaving out the appetizer cups.



They also have a line of veggie pastry cups. These ones were shaped like little flower baskets and were a lovely pink/red colour.  Again there was no real jarring flavour from the cups.  They went very well with the pizza type filling I created for them.

Pidy’s newest retail range the Veggie cups are available in four flavours beetroot, carrot, spinach and celeriac and come in packs of 12. The four flavours capture the true nature, colour and essence of the vegetables as they are made with 30% real vegetable juice extract and no E numbers or artificial colours. The canapés are also made with Pâté à Foncer dough which is lighter and contains 50% less fat than standard pastry.

Again, they were very crisp and the shape and color made for a very pretty little presentation.

 

*Pizza Cups*

Makes 16

Printable Recipe  

Tasty little morsels that taste just like pizza.  Tasty one bites.  Don't fill your cups until the last minute so that they stay crisp.  You can make the spread, and chop the other ingredients and have them ready to throw together quickly when you are ready to serve.

110g of sour cream (1/2 cup)

1/2 250g package of cream cheese (4 ounces)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 small pepperoni stick chopped coarsely

several lettuce leaves, shredded

half a dozen cured pitted black olives chopped

1 small tomato, de-seeded and  chopped

2 sun dried tomato halves, chopped

2 TBS finely chopped red onion

45g of coarsely grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)

16 crisp appetizer cups

Stir together the sour cream, cream cheese, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt and black pepper.   Spoon an equal portion of this into each of the appetizer cups.  Mix together the chopped pepperoni, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and sun dried tomatoes.  Sprinkle an equal portion over each cup.  Top each with a bit of Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Alternately this can be spread into a shallow dish and layered like a dip and served with crisp bread sticks or crackers.  I would double the amounts in this case.



Finally I was sent these Vol-au-Vents Pastries.  Crisp puff pastry shells, perfectly baked and waiting for me to fill them with my chosen filling.   These were the perfect size for a first course and so I created a tasty spinach, cranberry, red onion and blue cheese filling to serve in them. 

 

*Cranberry, Spinach and Blue Cheese Puffs*

Serves 8 as a first course

Printable Recipe  

Deliciously different first course for the holidays. Pretty to look at and quite delicious!

8 puff pastry vol aux vent pastries, thawed and baked

2 TBS butter

1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped

a bag fresh baby spinach leaves, washed and chopped (3 cups loosely packed)

75g of chopped sweetened dried cranberries (1/2 cup)

115g of blue cheese, crumbled (1/2 cup)

salt and coarsely ground black pepper



Place the baked vol aux vents on a baking sheet.   Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.

Melt the butter in a large skillet.  Add the red onions and cook, stirring over medium heat until softened.  Begin adding the spinach a handful at a time, cooking just to wilt.  Stir in the dried cranberries and heat through.  Season to taste with salt and coarsely ground black pepper.  Divide the mixture equally amongst the pastry cups.  Top each with an equal portion of the blue cheese crumbles.  Pop into the oven to heat through and melt the cheese.  Serve immediately.



Pidy manufacture a huge variety of products, including savoury pastries for main course, sweet pastry cases, dessert products, canapés and ready to fill pastries. For further details go to their website or follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

You can buy these fab products on Amazon.uk as well as in select farm and garden shops throughout the UK.

Many thanks to food PR agency CLIP Creative and PR for the samples.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings, chips and a really cool machine!

Do you like chicken wings and chips as much as I do???  Do you hate the mess, agro and smell caused from deep frying???   Well, have I got a great kitchen gadget for you!!


 

We recently got a Tefal AW950040 Family ActiFry Fryer  in  Black from Argos.  This was something I had wanted for a very long time.  My friend Angie (may she rest in peace) had gotten one a couple of years ago and raved about how good it was. The Actifry Fryer is a machine that uses new cooking technology to create crisp fries and other foods with virtually no oil.  I love chips, but I don't love all the fat and calories in them, so they are a very rare treat in this house.

The first thing I cooked in the ActiFry Fryer was chips.  I just had to see if they were as good as promised.  I apologize ahead of time for the lousy photos. ( I hate the problems I  with natural light in these late autumn/winter months.)  Egg and Chips was on the menu.  Normally I do oven chips but this time I used the fryer and I have to say . . . they turned out really well.

 

I followed the instructions which came with the machine exactly and we were rewarded with nicely crisp, yet low fat chips!



You just cut up your potatoes, rinse and dry them and then pop them into the fryer with a spoonful of oil, measured in the oil measurer that comes with the machine.  Thirty minutes later you are the lucky recipients of crisp and golden fries, with very little fat added.  Every few minutes, I peered into the machine, and nothing much seemed to be happening . . . at first. The potatoes were being stirred by the revolving arm, very, very slowly.  It wasn't long though before that began to change!  It was rather amazing actually.



The Toddster is rather fond of an egg and chips supper every now and then and he was well pleased with  the way the chips turned out.  So was I.  Call me a happy camper.

But it is a rather large machine and I have very limited space in my kitchen . . . was the Actifry more than a one trick pony??  Next up Chicken Wings.   I adore chicken wings, but I don't adore all of that fat and those calories.    I especially love Chinese Chicken wings . . .



I created a batter using flour, corn flour, egg and some salt and cayenne.  I coated the wing pieces in this mixture, dumped them into the fryer, set the timer and let the magic happen.  At first I despaired that they would turn out . . . I literally had to stop watching it . . .

 

No need to fear however as thirty five minutes later we had crisp golden and spicy chicken wings!  Result!!



I created a spicy sweet sauce to toss them in so that they would be finger licking good.  I love sauced crisp wings.  Don't you? 



Created with honey, soy, fresh ginger root, muscovado sugar, rice wine vinegar and red chilies, this was the perfect sauce to toss with those crisp little babies.

 

I also added some chopped roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds for extra crunch, texture and flavour.  Oh boy, were these ever good.  I have some more chicken wings in the fridge and am going to hot wings next.  I can't wait!  (NO worries if you don't have an actifry, you can cook these tasty little wings the old fashioned way in hot oil.)

*Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wings*

Makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe  

These were done in my T-Fal acti-fry machine.  I will include instructions at the end to do them without an acti-fry machine.  They are wonderfully delicious.  Crisp and spicey and sweet!

About a dozen chicken wings, jointed,
tips removed and discarded

(giving you 24 pieces)

35g of plain flour (1/4 cup)

30g corn flour (1/4 cup)

1 large free range egg, beaten

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste

1 TBS peanut oil

For the Sauce:

125ml of water (1/2 cup)

1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger root

1 1/2 TBS dark soy sauce

100g soft light brown muscovado sugar (1/2 cup packed)

3 TBS seasoned rice wine vinegar

120ml of golden syrup or honey (1/2 cup)

1 tsp crushed chilies (I used Gourmet Garden)

To finish:

35g roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (1/3 cup)

2 TBS sesame seeds, toasted  

  

Mix the flour, cornflour, egg, salt and cayenne pepper together in a bowl.  Dry your wings well with some paper kitchen towelling and then toss them into the batter to coat them thoroughly, mixing with your hands.  (They are the best tools invented!)  Dump them into the ActiFry machine.  Drizzle with the oil.  Close the lid to the machine and cook for 35 minutes.

While the wings are cooking, make the sauce.  Combine the water, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and golden syrup/honey in a large saucepan.   Bring to the boil and then reduce to a quick simmer, allowing it to reduce to a syrupy thick sauce.  Turn out the burner and keep warm.

Once the wings are cooked, toss them into the saucepan with the sauce and add the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds.  The wings should be coated completely with the sauce and covered with the crunchy bits.  Delicious!

Note: for conventional cooking once you have the wings coated in the batter deep fry them in a pot of hot oil (177*C-193*C/350*F-380*F) until crisp and cooked through.  Drain well on paper towels and then toss with the sauce as above.



Guess who else is a fan of the Acti Fry??  I am in good company.   Just sayin is all . . .



The Tefal Actifry Family can hold up to 1.5kg enough to feed the whole family! The unique patented technology makes for healthier crisps and chips without those horrible greasy odours. One spoon of oil to cook your favourite fresh food with no preheating. The transparent lid makes it easier to see your food as it cooks.   All removable parts are also dishwasher safe, which makes cleaning up a breeze.   If I could find one thing wrong with it, it would be the size of it as it is rather hefty, but the results I got using it more than make up for that one simple drawback.

Right now you can buy one at Argos for £149.99, which is a saving of  £70 from off the regular price of  £219.99.  Is it worth it??  I think so.

I was really happy with the service from Argos as well.  Delivery was quick and everything arrived in short order and perfect shape. 



Colour me happy!!