ginger nut biscuits

With my recent attempts of making shortbread biscuits not being quite as successful as I hoped they would be I decided to try a different kind of biscuit: the ginger nut
And I promise you once you have made these you will never want to buy them again - they are so simple and absolutely delicious

Ingredients:
250 gr (8oz) self- raising flour
1 tbsp ground ginger, or to taste
75 gr (3 oz) butter
125 gr (4 oz) golden syrup
125 gr (4oz) demerera sugar
2 tbsp milk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4

Sift the flour and ginger together in a large bowl. Add the butter and rub in to a fine breadcrumb.

Mix together the syrup, sugar and milk, add to the flour mixture and mix to a smooth dough.

Shape in to a roll and chill for at least half an hour, longer if you have time.

Cut into 5mm slices and placed on a greased baking sheet about 1 cm apart. Press down with a fork to get the stripey pattern,

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. Leave for a couple of minutes before transferring onto a wire rack to cool

Food Bloggers Unplugged

Food Bloggers Unplugged

I have been tagged by Linzi @LancashireFood to take part in the fun of #foodbloggersunplugged , the idea being to tag another 5 foodie bloggers to keep the initative on a roll. Sounds like great fun to me and enables us all to understand more about our fellow foodies, so I am happy to take part.

The questions we have to answer are as follows

1. What, or who inspired you to start a blog?

2. Who is your foodie inspiration?

3. Your greasiest, batter - splattered food/drink book is?

4. Tell us all about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?

5. Another food bloggers table you'd like to eat at is?

6. What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?

7. Who taught you how to cook?

8. I'm coming to you for dinner what's your signature dish?

9. What is your guilty food pleasure? 

10. Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?

Finally...tag 5 other food bloggers with these questions...like a hot baked potato...pass it on!

 

Use this home made expensive Food Bloggers Unplugged  logo (below) on your blog and link up with the hashtag #foodbloggersunplugged on Twitter.

So here goes 

1.What, or who inspired you to start a blog ?

My yoga friend Lindsey. I'd been following her blog for a while when we found out that we attend the same yoga class. She told me how the blogging worked and gave me real inspiration to try to write my own.

2.Who is your foodie inspiration ?

James Martin. I have followed his career right from the beginning. He has always put the emphasis on local & British produce, long before this became fashionable. I like his straightforward approach to food & easy to follow recipes.

3.Your greasiest, batter-splattered food /drink book is ?

James Martin - Collection. As a non-native to this country I viewed British food like it is perceived in many places in the world: have breakfast & afternoon tea, the rest is not worth talking about. This book has many great British classics in it and it has made me appreciate all the wonderful dishes Britain has.

4. Tell us about the best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it, what was it ?

So many food memories spring to mind. I had some fantastic food in France & Canada, but I think I will have to go with 't Veerhuis on the shores of the Oosterschelde in my home country Holland. Being as close to the water as you can get without actually being in it, the sea food at this restaurant is out of this world. I had the freshest oysters you can ever imagine, cooked kirkpatrick....my mouth is watering just thinking back at it.

5. Another food bloggers table you'd like to eat at is ?

@Janemorecakepls....her cakes look a picture. I wish I could bake like that

6. What would be the one kitchen gadget you would ask santa for this year ?

Woodburning pizza oven

7. Who taught you have to cook ?

I am mainly self taught, with my mum covering the basics.

8. I'm coming to you for dinner whats your signature dish ?

I don't really have one. I like to try new things, but it would be made with seasonal & local ingredients

9. What is your guilty food pleasure ?

Not sure what to put here! I don't think I have one. Food is always a pleasure to me and I never feel guilty about having a bit of what I fancy.

10. Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn ?

My food hell is carrots.

 

My bloggers I am tagging are (you must say this in a tension building manner)

1. Elizabeth Auerbach - http://www.elizabethonfood.com/
2. Jules - thebutcherthebaker.wordpress.com
3. Rupert Parsons - http://www.womersleyfoods.co.uk/
4. Judith Byrne - musingsofjude.blogspot.com
5. Jane Huntley - http://www.morecakeplease.co.uk/

salmon en croute

Being bored with always making the same thing with fish, this week I decided to try something a bit different. I had been reading about a venison wellington in a foodie magazine and thought maybe I could do something with puff pastry & salmon

Ingredients for 2 people:

2 salmon steaks or fillets, skins removed
100 gr spinach
100 gr of cream cheese
all butter puff pastry
salt, pepper & freshly grated nutmeg
1 egg beaten for glazing

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6
Wilt the spinach in a pan with a little bit of water and a small knob of butter. This will only take a couple of minutes. Drain the spinach off and pat dry with some kitchen paper before chopping finely.
Mix the spinach with the cream cheese & season with some salt, pepper and a little freshly grated nutmeg.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut rectangulars out of this. Fold the pastry in half, and one of the halfs in half again, before cutting slits in the pastry about 1 cm/ 1/2 inch apart to create the jalousie effect.



Unfold the pastry and place the cream cheese mixture on the opposite half of the pastry. Sit the salmon on top of this and brush the edges with the egg wash.

Fold the jalousied pastry over the top, making sure that all the edges are well sealed. Brush withh the egg wash and place in the oven for about 25 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Serve with vegetables of your choice.



Deep-fried crispy duck egg with duck confit salad

I am loving the new series of Great British Food Revival. To see Michel Roux Jr championing the British pear or John Torode telling us passionately about  Aberdeen Angus & longhorn beef. It  all is mouthwatering stuff. But there was one recipe that immediately shouted out to me: MAKE ME, MAKE ME. And here it is: James Martin’s deep-fried crispy duck egg with duck confit salad. I have “borrowed” this recipe from the BBC website, but made a few tweaks.

The duck egg with it rich yolk really makes it extra delicious. The original recipe also called for a handful each of coriander & peashoots, but I left these out. Coriander because I detest it, pea shoots because I couldn't find any.

For the duck leg confit

1 duck leg (or if making this for a main course, 1 duck leg per person)

Sea salt

A couple of sprigs of thyme

Duck fat

For the cripsy duck egg

2 tbsp of white wine vinegar

sea salt

5 free-range duck egg

freshly ground black pepper

115g/4oz plain flour

200g/7oz fresh breadcrumbs

vegetable oil for deep-frying

For the duck confit salad

125ml/4fl oz rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp sugar

2 large shallots, finely sliced

100g/3½oz cherries, stoned (in November cherries are not in season, so I used 100g of plums

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

50ml/2fl oz extra virgin olive oil

50g/1¾oz frisée lettuce

small punnet fresh cress

1 ready-made confit duck leg, meat picked from the bone and roughly chopped

4 slices streaky bacon, cooked until crisp between two baking sheets

Preparation method

The day before, weigh the duck leg(s) and sprinkle with the thyme and sea salt (15 gr per 1 kg of duck)

The next day wipe the salt of the duck legs and slowly cook them in the duck fat for about 2,5 hours. Leave to cool in the fat.

For the crispy eggs, bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Set a bowl of iced water alongside. Boil four of the eggs in the water for exactly five minutes then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of iced water.

Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and whisk in a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls and season each with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Peel the cooled boiled eggs. Gently dredge each one in the flour until evenly coated, and then dip into the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs to coat. Chill in the fridge until ready to cook. Reserve the remaining breadcrumbs.

Meanwhile, for the salad, place the rice wine vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt into a pan and bring to the boil. Pour over the shallots and cherries and set aside to cool.

For the dressing, pour the sherry vinegar and olive oil into a jug and whisk. Place the salad leaves into a large bowl and flake in pieces of the duck confit. Strain off the shallots and cherries, add them to the salad with the dressing and mix well. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Just before serving, heat the vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C/350F. Roll the chilled eggs in another layer of breadcrumbs, then deep-fry until golden-brown. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.) Remove the eggs from the oil with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt.

Place the dressed salad onto plates in little nests, cut one crispy egg open at the top and place in the centre of each nest. Cut the bacon into small pieces, scatter it around the egg and serve with a little more dressing poured around.

Serves 4 as a starter

Liquor 44

As my blog is called "orangemartini on food and drink" I thought it was about time I shared a drink recipe with you that was given to me by someone I used to work with and who knew my love for food & drink.
Liquor 44 is a lovely digestive drink which can be drunk with (or as alternative to) the after dinner coffee.
To start with you need a 1,5 liter (3 pint) kilner jar, sterilised.

Ingredients:
44 sugar cubes (approx 4 to 5 oz caster sugar)
2 oranges (each studded with 22 coffee beans)
a vanilla pod (optional)
a bottle of Dutch gin or vodka can be used as an alternative

Preparation:
Is very easy:
1. put the 44 sugar cubes in the bottom of the kilner jar
2. set the studded oranges on top of this
3. add the vanilla pod if using (not in the original recipe, but I like it)
4. pour over the Dutch gin or the vodka
Close the jar and give it a gentle shake once a day to dissolve all the sugar After 44 days decant & you will have your own homemade coffee-orange flavoured Liquor 44

Life, Fork & Spoon by James Martin

Ready meals are not my thing….I enjoy cooking too much, but going away on a self-catering holiday in Scotland I decided to try the meals created by James Martin on his Life, Fork & Spoon range.

Meals can be delivered to any address in mainland UK. I had them delivered at home before we left and we just took them up with us, but it might be possible to get them delivered directly at your holiday home (please check with the owner of the holiday property) All meals come with clear and easy to follow reheating instructions and for the first night we opted for braised gammon hock with a mustard and honey sauce.

The meat was succulent and full of flavour and it is what we would call a Yorkshire portion. Lots & lots there! There is plenty of sauce with it too. This is plate-licking good! We had our gammon with “French potatoes” my variation of dauphinoise potatoes which layers the potatoes with onions & cheese.

On the first night we decided on the lemon drizzle sponge for our sweet and this also went down a treat. The sauce gets delivered in a pouch of it’s own to be reheated separately so it can be poured over the sponge just before serving. We just added a bit of cream to it, nice but not absolutely necessary as the sponge and sauce are full of flavour themselves: sweet and with a lovely lemony tang

On night two we went for the steak & ale pie (in the picture served with a Caesar salad). Once again an ample portion, the pie was full of flavour and had some good chunks of steak in it. The pastry was lovely and crumbly too.

For afters we had the tarte tatin. And although the pastry was good and the apples lovely, I missed the caramel that I get when I make an apple tarte tatin from scratch. My OH said he really liked it, I definitely missed the caramel.

The last of our Life, Fork & Spoon meals of the week was the Beef Bordelaise with pancetta and red wine. As soon as I opened the pouches a beautiful aroma wafted my way. This smelled promising and it didn’t disappoint. 3 very generous chunks of beef, beautifully soft onion, pancetta and plenty of red wine sauce. Comfort food at it’s best. I agree it would be absolutely wonderful with a creamy mash & seasonal vegetables, but after a 7 hour car journey the thought of peeling & boiling potatoes to make a mash was not one I cherished. So we opted for some really crusty bread and butter to go with it. The bread was great to mop up all the lovely sauce. Another definite triumph in this range of  ready meals.

To finish this meal off, we went for James’s signature dish of white chocolate & whisky bread pudding. Well, what can I say about this dessert that has not been said before. The combination of the soft in the middle, crunchy on the outside croissant with currants and a creamy custard is always a winner and a worthy conclusion of our exploration of the Life, Fork Spoon range.

As I said at the start, I don’t do ready meals normally and I am not about to change this anytime soon. But it is great to know that there is a good quality & very yummy range of ready meals out there for when you want it.

The Boat House - South Queensferry

Whilst on holiday in Scotland we just had to meet up with some good friends of ours.

Staying at a lodge about an hour from where they live, we decided to meet more or less halfway and go for a meal out to The Boathouse in South Queensferry.

The Boathouse consists of a formal restaurant, a cocktail bar and a more informal bistro, both restaurant & bistro overlooking the Firth of Forth (although being this late in the season it was dark when we got there, but I can see how it would be lovely to sit outside on the terrace on a bright summer’s day).

The staff were friendly & welcoming and we were shown to a table near the window. We had not seen our friends for some time so there was a lot to catch up on and it took us a while to even start to look at the menu to make our choices, but at no point did we feel rushed.

We all decided to go for the haggis nuggets with sweet chilli dip for starters. A great beginning, 3 pieces of haggis in an extremely light & crispy batter with the sweet chilli dip, giving it a bit of a kick. A light side salad to counterbalance the strong flavours of haggis & chilli finished it off just nicely.

For mains the choices were a bit more varied with two of our party going for the "Saute chicken and chorizo sausage in a spicy tomato and pepper sauce with tripoline pasta." I was reliable informed that this was a great pasta dish with the warming spice of the chorizo really coming through. Then there was the "Buccleuch beef burger 8oz - Pure beef char-grilled served on a toasted bun with Iceberg lettuce, red onion, tomato and onion rings with fries." This could be served plain or with a good choice of toppings. A generous portion that also went down well.

I opted for the "West coast scallops pan-fried on a seasonal leaf salad with sauté potatoes and drizzled with white truffle scented olive oil"….a beautiful combination and lovely to see the scallops served with the roe. Personally I love the roe and I always think it is a bit of a shame when it gets discarded. This was light and very more-ish.

As none of the dishes we had were stingy portions, we decided just to have a coffee after. This rounded off the meal nicely.

Go to the Boat house Bistro if you fancy a relaxed, no rush meal. No haut cuisine here, but a nice comforting meal at a reasonable price. Being so near the coast there is an ample selection of fish dishes, but meat eaters have a good choice too.

Do however give yourself plenty of time to get there. It is easy enough to find, but parking spaces in the area are limited so you might have to park it a bit further up and walk down to the bistro.