Sticky Toffee Pudding

Oh no, the heavens have opened on Cumbria and in true Lake District fashion it is pouring it down, which I assume will continue for days if not months!

When the sun is shining, like it has done over the past week, I definitely enjoy a healthier diet with light options such as salads, stir-fries and steamed fish. However, now the weather has taken a turn for the worse I can assure you it will be soups, stews, and comfort food a plenty.

If like me you have the winter blues, then why not go home and treat yourself. There is no quicker happy fix than baking and eating it afterwards and with my easy individual sticky toffee pudding recipe you will be skipping with joy in no time… may be exaggerating a little, but trust me it’s tasty!

To make 6 individual sticky toffee puddings:

Ingredients

For the puddings:

55g/2oz butter, plus extra for greasing

170g/6oz demerara sugar

1 tbsp golden syrup

2 free-range eggs

2 tbsp black treacle

200g/7oz self-raising flour, plus extra for flouring

200g/7oz pitted dates

290ml/10fl oz boiling water

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp vanilla extract

For the sauce:

110ml/4fl oz double cream

55g/2oz diced butter

55g/2oz dark muscovado sugar

2 tbsp black treacle

1 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Grease and flour 6 individual pudding moulds.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until pale and fluffy.
4. Add the golden syrup, treacle and eggs, a little at a time, and blend until smooth. 
5. Add the flour and blend slowly, until well combined. Pour into a bowl.
6. Blend the dates and boiling water in a food processor to a smooth purée. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla.
7. Pour the date mixture into the pudding batter and stir until well combined.
8. Pour the mixture into the moulds and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is springy and golden-brown.
9. To make the sauce, heat all of the ingredients in a pan, stirring occasionally, until boiling.
10. To serve, remove the puddings from the moulds and place onto each of 6 serving plates. 
11. Pour over the sauce (when pouring, make a small hole in the top of the pudding, half way down, so the sauce soaks into the middle) and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a small jug of custard or cream.

Bon Appetit 🙂

PS: This dessert would make the perfect treat for your Mum this Sunday – Happy Mother’s Day!

Chilli Con Carne : the perfect autumnal treat

You can’t beat a tasty bowl of Chilli Con Carne to tuck into after a wet and dreary autumnal day in the Lakes. I have to admit that if I’ve had a busy day at work and need a quick and tasty meal I usually make this dish by cheating using a readymade Chilli Con Carne sachet, however this time I cooked it the real way from scratch and boy was it delicious! Here is how I made it:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil

1 large onion

1 red pepper

A handful of white mushrooms

2 beef tomatoes, peeled

2 peeled garlic cloves

1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

500g lean minced beef

1 beef stock cube

400g can chopped tomatoes

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp tomato purée

410g can red kidney beans

plain boiled long grain rice , to serve

A handful of chopped coriander, to serve

soured cream , to serve

green salad, to serve

Method

1. Dice 1 large onion, slice the mushrooms and chop the beef tomatoes and pepper into small pieces. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.

2. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Tip in the garlic, red pepper, mushrooms, beef tomatoes, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin. Stir and then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Turn the heat up a bit and add the mince to the pan to brown. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in even lumps and brown.

4. Once browned make the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube or beef stockpot into 300ml hot water and pour into the pan with the mince. Add the can of chopped tomatoes, tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp sugar, and salt and pepper to season. Squirt in 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.

5. Bring the mixture to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the mixture doesn’t stick or dry out. The mixture should look thick and juicy; if it is a little dry add a splash of extra water.  

6. Now to add the beans. Drain and rinse the can of red kidney beans and stir them into the chilli. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry and season to taste. Turn off the heat, place the lid back on the pan and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes. It is important to allow your chilli to rest so that the flavours infuse and intensify; I actually like to make mine first thing so it has the day to infuse. You may notice a small layer of oil/fat after letting it stand, to get rid of this simply dab a piece of kitchen roll on the top of the chilli.

I served my chilli over plain rice, with a small green salad to the side and a dollop of soured cream and chopped coriander on top. You could also serve this chilli over tortilla chips topped with guacamole, soured cream and grated cheese or simply with some crusty homemade garlic bread.

Bon appetite 🙂

You can’t beat a good lasagna!

On a cold and soggy day like today you can’t beat comfort food, so with little in the cupboards other than basic spaghetti Bolognese ingredients, I decided tonight’s tea had to be pasta. I can make a pretty good spaghetti Bolognese but I fancied trying something new, so scowled the internet for a good lasagne recipe that was quick and easy to cook.

I found this recipe on the Good Food website http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/513698 , however due to starting my cooking too late and the recipe suggesting I cook the meat sauce for over three hours, I used the recipe as a basic guideline and adapted it to make it quick to prepare.

The end result was a moderately easy to make lasagne, that was delicious and satisfying. There is even enough left for tomorrow- lasagne is always better the day after you’ve made it!

To make a lasagne for 6 people (generous portions):

1. Warm 3tbsp of oil and 25g of butter in a large casserole dish over medium heat. Add one finely chopped onion and gently fry for 5 minutes until softened and translucent. Add the 3 sticks of celery, 2 carrots and 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic, and cook for another couple of minutes.
2. Stir in 1kg of minced beef with a large pinch of salt and several grindings of black pepper. cook, stirring, until the beef has lost its raw pink look.
3. Add 2 bay leaves and 225ml of milk, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the meat has absorbed the milk. Season with a pinch of nutmeg.
4. Add 1 tin of chopped tomatoes with their juice and stir thoroughly.
5. Cook, uncovered, at a gentle simmer for 1 hour.
6. About 45 minutes before the meat is ready, make the béchamel sauce. Pour the 600ml of milk into a saucepan with one bay leaf, half a finely chopped onion and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Bring to just below boiling point, and then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease a shallow baking dish.
8. Melt 60g of butter in a saucepan, stir in 60g of plain flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Strain the milk, and then gradually stir it into the flour mixture to make a thick smooth sauce. Stir at a brisk pace to remove the lumps. Season to taste.
9. Pour enough béchamel sauce to cover the baking dish’s base. Then place a layer of lasagne sheets on top, followed by a layer of meat sauce, another layer of béchamel and a good handful of cheddar cheese. Continue with two or three more layers until both sauces are used up. Add a final sprinkling of Parmesan on top of the lasagne.  I only used three layers of lasagna but you can use more depending on how much pasta you like to eat.
10. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes (if you like it crunchy on top) or until bubbling all over and a knife slips easily through the layers of lasagne.
11. Serve with a small green salad and a wedge of home-made garlic bread.

My lasagna before the oven