Showing posts from 2011

Chocolate Vanilla Cheesecake

This was my greatest triumph at Christmas and it was so good I'm making another one for New Years Eve. The cheesecake is made in a 25cm springform tin so it serves at least 8-10 people, but as it's so rich you could probably stretch it out to serve 12. The other beauty of this dessert is it freezes really well, minus the cocoa powder topping, so it's a useful dessert to have stored away in your freezer to pull out for unexpected guests or impromptu get togethers. When raspberries come into season I will try it again with a handful of raspberries in the cheesecake mix and a few TBSP of raspberry liqueur, that would be lovely I think. Have a wonderful New Year. I will be resuming normal service on the blog next week. CHOCOLATE VANILLA CHEESECAKE | Serves: 10 | Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 45 Minutes | Total Time: 1 Hour 5 Minutes | Ingredients: for a 25cm Springform tin For the base 85g Hot melted butter 14 Dark Chocolate Digestives, blitze


Smoked Salmon Pate

A few weeks back you will remember I received this fab seasonal box from Forman and Field in association with Knorr . In it was some gorgeous London Cure Smoked Salmon, which I have duly transformed into an ideal Christmas Day starter to serve 8. A little smoked salmon goes a long way in this recipe, helping keep the costs down but not compromising on flavour or quality. Will you be serving a starter on Christmas day, or do you and your family prefer to get stuck straight in to the main event? SMOKED SALMON PATE | Serves: 8  | Prep Time: 5 Minutes | Cook Time: -  | Total Time: -  | Ingredients:  200g tub of Cream Cheese 200g Smoked salmon 1 heaped TBSP of Horseradish sauce Juice of 1 Small Lemon 3 TBSP Chives, snipped plus extra for garnish Instructions: Step 1; Blitz together all the ingredients in a processor, season and garnish with extra chives. Step 2: Serve with melba toasts or brown bread. | Author: Beth Sachs | Date: 12th December 2


Christmas Chestnut Cupcakes

Last Christmas I bought some tins of Creme de Marron (sweet chestnut puree) but unfortunately they did no more than linger at the back of my baking cupboard.... until today that is. Getting into the Christmas spirit I was flicking through Delia's Happy Christmas this morning when I spotted a recipe for chestnut cupcakes using creme de marrons. I decided to adapt Delia's recipe a little bit to suit what ingredients I already had in the house and came up with these little treasures.  If you're not keen on mince pies or heavy fruit cake, these would make a great sweet alternative. CHESTNUT CUPCAKES | Serves: 8 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 30 Minutes | Total Time: 45 Minutes | Ingredients:  150g Creme de Marron 110g Soft Butter 2 Eggs, beaten 110g Plain Flour 11/2tsp Baking Powder 4 TBSP Milk Topping: 100g Cream Cheese 100g Sour Cream 100g Creme de Marron (handily creme de marron usually come in 250g tins) Cinnamon and Pretzels to f


Stilton, Bacon and Sage Penne

I created this recipe using a few of the products from my Forman and Field seasonal box, sent as part of the Knorr 'Best of British' campaign . This dish provides an ideal way of using up leftover Stilton from the Christmas cheeseboard as well as that odd rasher or two of bacon lurking at the back of the fridge. A few dried cranberries thrown in wouldn't go amis, nor would some toasted walnuts sprinkled on top. No need for salt as the cheese and bacon provide plenty already. If you don't have any creme fraiche to hand, use extra thick double cream with a squeeze of lemon juice instead. Enjoy - this is REALLY good! STILTON BACON AND SAGE PENNE | Serves: 2  | Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Total Time: 25 Minutes | Ingredients:  200g Pasta 1 TBSP Olive Oil 1/2 Red Onion, sliced 2 Rashers of Streaky Bacon - (I used Emmetts from my Knorr Seasonal box) 1 Garlic Clove, chopped 1 TBSP Fresh Sage, chopped 100g Stilton, chopped (I used


Chocolate Honeycomb Mincemeat Squares

Is it acceptable to be posting festive recipe ideas yet? I hope so as these chocolate squares were pretty amazing. Baking Mad contacted me recently to see if I would like to recreate, in my own style a recipe from their extensive website. Having had a browse through the hundreds of lovely bakes and cakes, I stumbled across one for Chocolate Honeycomb Squares. I wanted to give the recipe my own festive twist so added some halved glace cherries, mincemeat and a dusting of snowy icing sugar on top. I also used half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate to cut through the sweetness of the cherries and mincemeat. The bars keep really well in the fridge (up to 2 weeks) so are an ideal make ahead treat or gift. If you wanted to make them more 'adult', you could try using Amaretti biscuits instead of the honeycomb and brandy soaked raisins instead of the glace cherries. Enjoy, these are too good. CHOCOLATE HONEYCOMB MINCEMEAT SQUARES | Serves: 16 squares | P


Hubble Bubble Pumpkin Fish Cakes

My Fish is the Dish package arrived today filled with glorious fresh salmon, haddock and smoked haddock from Delish Fish based in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire. Fish is the Dish website is the consumer arm of Seafish which was founded in 1981 by an Act of Parliament, with the aim of supporting all sectors of the seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future. It is the only pan-industry body offering services to all parts of the seafood industry, from catching and aquaculture to processors, importers, exporters and distributors of seafood, including restaurants and retailers. Funded by a levy on the first sale of seafood landed in the UK, the principal aim of Seafish is to support and improve the environmental sustainability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the industry, as well as to promote sustainably-sourced seafood. The services it offers include technical research and development, responsible sourcing initiatives, economic consulting, market research, industry accre


Peanut Butter and Choc Chip Cookies

Easy 5 ingredient Peanut Butter and Choc Chip Cookies. Perfect as a mid morning snack with a cup of coffee. These yummy 5 ingredient peanut butter and choc chip cookies can be made and baked in less than half an hour. perfect if you have last minute guests arriving. TOP TIPS FOR MAKING PEANUT BUTTER & CHOC CHIP COOKIES Use dark, milk or white chocolate chips in this recipe, or a mixture of all three. Add a handful of raisins for added fruitiness. These cookies are perfect with a glass of milk or cup of coffee. OTHER PEANUT BUTTER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares Banana and Peanut Butter Flapjacks These cookies do not have any flour in them, so they perfect if you are following a gluten free diet. The peanut butter acts as the binding agent, producing beautiful soft cookies. PEANUT BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies Baki


Baked Squash Risotto

We have just enjoyed this lovely baked risotto for dinner, using the squash, 1 onion, some butter and Cheddar from the Farmison Veg and Dairy box I received on Friday. It requires no stirring so perfect when you are too busy to stand by the hob. The amount below serves 2 (the kids had a cooked lunch at School/Nursery) but you can easily double everything to serve 4. BAKED SQUASH RISOTTO | Serves: 2  | Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 40 Minutes | Total Time: 50 Minutes  | Ingredients:  1 small Squash, cut into wedges (skin still on) 1 TBSP Butter 1 Onion, chopped 3 rashers of smoked Bacon, chopped 1 TSP Dried Thyme 200g Risotto Rice 600ml Vegetable Stock 150g Mature Cheddar, grated Instructions: Step 1: Heat the oven to 180c. Put the squash into a roasting tin, drizzle with oil, season and put in the oven - roast for 30 minutes until tender. Step 2: Meanwhile heat a casserole with some oil and fry the onion and bacon until cooked, add the thyme an


Bacon, Broccoli and Cheddar Pasta Bake

For those of you who follow me on Twitter (@jamandcream) or are regular blog readers, you will know that I make pasta bakes A LOT (mainly as a vehicle for getting rid of leftovers) and on rainy Autumn days like today they bring much needed comfort and warmth. My pasta bakes are always cheesy (the cheesier the better in my opinion) and are usually made with Davidstow Cheddar (I particularly love their Cornish Crackler) which is produced just down the road from us here in North Cornwall. Bacon and broccoli are a lovely combination and the pasta adds some bulk to fill up hungry tummies (although you could quite easily omit the pasta if you preferred and add in another head of broccoli). All of these ingredients are stirred into a classic cheese sauce, before being placed in the oven for that golden topping. As a twist, I added 1 TSP of Frenchs Smooth and Spicy Mustard (a product I had been sent to try out in my cooking) to the sauce to pep it up a little bit - it was a fab a


Double Choc Chip Caramel Cookies

These were a happy accident. I had half a tin of condensed milk leftover after making this recipe ...and plenty of chocolate chips. After a bit of googling and plenty of experimenting these Double Choc Chip Caramel Cookies were born. The condensed milk gives the cookies a lovely caramelly chewy texture and you could always substitute the chocolate chips for raisins or cranberries if you wanted something more fruity. The recipe below makes about 25 cookies - I have put half in the freezer for unexpected guest emergencies! DOUBLE CHOC CHIP CARAMEL COOKIES | Serves: 25 cookies | Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 15 Minutes | Total Time: 25 Minutes | Ingredients:  225g Butter, softened 225g Golden Caster Sugar 200g Condensed Milk 200g Oats 150g Self Raising Flour 1 TSP Vanilla Extract 50g Milk Chocolate Chips 50g White Chocolate Chips Instructions: Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180c/160fan and grease 3 large baking trays. Step 2: Cream the butter and


Tuna, Olive and Tomato Spaghetti

I love living in Cornwall but I often miss out on attending foodie events because I live so far away from London (a small price to pay for living in such a beautiful part of the country). I was invited to attend a Taste of Spain Olive masterclass with chef Omar Allibhoy on the 14 th September in London, which unfortunately I had to turn down due to travel costs. However, Taste of Spain made sure I didn’t miss out altogether and sent me some Olives through the post so I could have a go at creating some of my own recipes.  This Tuna, Olive and Tomato Spaghetti was born after a late one at work. It takes less than 20 minutes to make, which is great  for when time is short. I made this for myself and hubby (the kids had already eaten at Nana’s house), so I added lots of fresh red chilli. However, Rory took a liking to it and ended up eating half of mine (he’s a toddler that likes his chilli....and olives!) and in the process splattered his PJ’s in tomato sauce. It was


Apple Cake

I have SO. MANY. APPLES to use. A whole heap (3kg) went into some Spicy Apple Chutney I made last week - which I will blog soon, I also made some Bramley Apple Compote and 3 Apple Crumbles for the freezer... then just when I thought I'd broken the back of the pile, my neighbour bought round another bag full. These weren't bramleys though, but were too sharp to eat (judging by my 2 year old's face when he bit into one) so I thought I could use them in a cake. The cake is lovely and moist with a light texture thanks to the long whisking of the eggs and sugar at the beginning of the recipe. You could vary it by trying pears instead of apples, perhaps with some cardamom! Mmmm Pear and Cardamom Cake....going to have to try that one soon! APPLE CAKE | Serves: 12 squares | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 35 Minutes | Total Time: 50 Minutes | Ingredients: 2 large Eggs 175g Golden Caster Sugar 1 TSP Vanilla Extract 85g Butter 75ml Milk 125g Pla


Wild Mushroom Risotto

It's risotto kind of weather again, not that I mind - I LOVE Autumn and its distinctive smell. I love the chilly breezy evenings, the bonfires, fallen leaves, toffee apples, fireworks..... and I most definitely love the seasonal food on offer. This risotto is very earthy and rich and perfect for an Autumn evening, snuggled up inside with your family. WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO | Serves: 4  | Prep Time: 30 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes | Total Time: 50 Minutes | Ingredients:  40g Dried Wild Mushrooms 1 TSP Vegetable Bouillon Glug of Oil 1 Onion, chopped 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped 200g Mushrooms - any variety I used closed cup, chopped 300g Risotto Rice Glass of Vermouth (or white wine) Large handful of grated Parmesan Salt and Pepper Instructions: Step 1: Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with 1.2 litres of boiling water. Leave for 30 minutes then take the mushrooms out, squeeze off excess water and chop. Add the vegetable bouillon


Mini Quiches

Lowen starts school this week (*sob*) and she is adamant that she wants to take a packed lunch instead of having cooked school lunches (having sampled the school meals on a recent taster day I can't blame her to be honest). With that in mind I've been developing some child friendly lunchbox fodder over the school holidays to try and stop lunches becoming repetitive and boring. These mini quiches are perfect for little hands and mouths and you can vary the filling to suit what you have in the fridge. The ones I have made here are bacon and cheddar, but the possibilities are endless. The beauty with this recipe is that the pastry quantities specified make enough for 24 mini quiches but I do 2 batches of 12  - the pastry is fine to be left in the fridge for a few days so why not make a batch on Sunday night and another on Tuesday or Wednesday night to get you through the school week. MINI QUICHES | Serves: makes 24 | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Cook Time: 20 Minutes  |


Rise and Shine Flapjacks

These fruity flapjacks come courtesy of a new cookbook that landed on my door last week - Hungry, written by Innocent Drinks in collaboration with food writer Anna Jones. The book aims to provide families with healthy, tasty alternatives to fast food and includes delicious recipes for Oven Baked Squash Risotto (which I will be trying soon), Sweet Potato Beanie Bake, Lamb Shank Tagine, Pea and Bacon Soup...as well as desserts (the banana ice cream sounds fab), quick wholesome breakfasts and of course smoothies. The book also has a very interesting wee-ometer page - which I will leave to your imagination...... Not content with just the cookbook though, the people at Innocent will be hitting the road in their HGV (AKA Hungry Grassy Van) between the 9th -23rd September to showcase some of the recipes from the book. HGV will be stopping at London, Bristol (13-15th September), Manchester and Glasgow...and lots of places in between and serving diners with very reasonably price


Cuisinart Ice Cream Challenge: Salted Choco Honeycomb Ice Cream

The Cuisinart Ice Cream Challenge has been set: Create a Summer Ice Cream classic with a twist - start with a traditional flavour (Vanilla, Strawberry, Chocolate) and give it your own unique makeover. I was lucky enough to be selected to take part in this challenge, along with 3 other bloggers - Christina, May and Sabrina  and last week we were all in receipt of brand spanking new Cuisinart Ice Cream Deluxe Machines to create our masterpieces. For my first recipe I opted for a traditional vanilla base and added crushed salted peanuts, chopped up crunchie bars and dark chocolate chips, my take on Nigella's Salty and Sweet Bars in Nigella Kitchen! SALTED CHOCO HONEYCOMB ICE CREAM Ingredients: makes 2 litres 600ml Double Cream 350 Milk 250 Granulated Sugar 2 TSP Vanilla Extract 2 Crunchie Bars, chopped Handful of Salted Peanuts, crushed Handful of Chocolate Chips Instructions: Step 1: Put the bowl in the freezer overnight. Step 2: Whisk