LEEK AND STILTON FILO TART

Recipe to follow shortly....

VENISON & GUINNESS PUDDING

If you like a good hearty meal then this venison suet pudding is for you!

A tasty alternative to Sunday roast on a chilly afternoon. 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

1kg of Venison

1 large Onion

3 anchovy fillets

Fresh chopped herbs (I used lovage and rosemary)

1 tablespoon of plain flour

1 can of Guinness (or any beer)

salt & pepper

 

Suet pudding

200g of self raising flour

100g of suet

water to bind together

salt

Cut up the venison into large chunks removing any sinew and put into a large mixing bowl.

Slice the onion into thin pieces and add to the venison.

Finely chop the herbs and anchovy's and add to the venison

along with the plain flour.

Mix with your hands crushing and squeezing to fully combine.

 

 

For the suet pudding, mix the ingredients together in a bowl and add enough water to bind together

Divide the suet pastry in two allowing 1/3 for the lid and 2/3 for the bottom.

Roll out the bottom and line the pudding bowl with enough of a overhang to fold over the lid later.

Fill lined pudding basin with the venison and pour in enough Guinness to just cover the meat.

Roll out the suet lid, big enough to cover the top and place over the meat.

Fold the suet base overhang over the lid using a little water to help stick down and seal. 

 

Cover with some grease-proof paper and secure with string.

Leave enough length in the string to make a handle.

Place into a steamer and steam for 4 hours.

 

                                                           

After 4 hours

 

Turn out on to a serving plate and take to the table.

 

Serve with carrots, curly kale, mash potato and dollop of dijon mustard

 

And a glass of Guinness - optional :)

 

 

CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO TART

Baker junior cooked up this delicous chocolate treat from the Popina Book of baking, a fabulous book that you simply must buy, full of sweet and savoury bakes to suit every taste. 

This rich but not sickly pud is one of many recipes we have tried from the book and one that turned out to be a real hit at the local high school.

WHAT TO DO WITH CELERIAC?!

Similar in taste and texture to parsnip but with a prominent flavour of celery, many

of us are unsure what to do with them which is a shame when they are so easy to grow.

Celeriac can be cooked and mashed with potato, diced and added to stews and soups,

chipped or roasted like a spud or grated in coleslaw.

Here however, I  have made a cheesy gratin with poppy seeds and roasted pumpkin that you can 

eat on its own or as a side dish. 

Ingredients

One Celeriac - peeled, quartered and thinly sliced

1 tsp chopped chili

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tbsp cream cheese

250ml single cream

Roast pumpkin (optional)

Grated Cheddar for topping

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan, add the chili and let it sizzle for a few seconds.

Add the sliced celeriac and salt and pepper and fry for about 5 minutes turning regularly.

Add the poppy seeds and the cream cheese and continue to stir carefully until the

cheese has melted.

Stir in the single cream and bring to a gentle bubble before tipping into a gratin dish.

Place into a preheated oven (180 degrees) for about half an hour.

Five minutes before the end, grate on a generous helping of Cheddar cheese

and place back in the oven to melt.

(We also added some left over roast pumpkin which was a delicious addition but you can leave this out) 

Absolutely delicious

So next time you walk passed them in the supermarket, drop one into your trolley

and have a go at this!

GAME ON AT AUTUMN FEAST

Another fabulous evening at Baker & Baker, courtesy of Mark David of The Cookery Exerience

Once again, Mark gave a fun and informative demonstration on our three oven Aga, showing just how versatile this iconic range is.

With a ‘Game’ theme, the evenings recipes included partridge, pheasant, pidgeon and rabbit as well as the classic apple crumble and other autumn dishes using seasonal produce.

‘Thank you again for a lovely evening. Can’t wait for the next!’ Miss K

‘Thank you for a lovely evening. Superb venue with a very engaging chef who took the time to explain the finer details. Recommend to all. See you in November!’ Mrs W

‘Great night tonight at Baker & Baker food demo.’ Mrs H

‘I have to say I had a really great time last night at your food demo. I didn’t even realise I liked game or dare I say it……rabbit! Our rabbit ran away a few months back so hope the one I ate last night wasn’t white and fluffy! Anyway just wanted to say thanks for such a lovely time and look forward to your next one on November 28th.’ Mrs S



SPICY BUNNY BURGERS WITH SUN DRIED TOMATO MAYO

Best burgers ever or so my sons says, and I have to agree!

Made with rabbit shot and prepared by my own fair hands but

you can buy yours from your local butcher for around £4 each.

 Pile high with salad, cheese, home-made tomato sauce in a freshly baked bun

and serve with home made chips

Ingredients

1 Rabbit (once boned, about 600g)
300g of pork belly (optional)
1 onion (chopped)
Free herbs (rosemary,chive,thyme,marjoram or any you have) chopped
1 chopped chilli
Salt & Pepper

Tomato mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
3 Sun dried tomatoes
1 teaspoon of tomato puree
dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

To Dress
Tomato
Salad leaves
Gherkin
radish
red onion
Cheese

First, skin and bone out your rabbit (or buy ready prepared from your butcher)
along with the pork belly to add some fat to an otherwise very lean meat.
This will make the burger moist and more flavour but can be left
out for a healthier option.

Mince the meat together in a Kenwood mixer with attachment 

or similar gadget.

Bind the mincemeat, herbs, chilli, salt and pepper together and make into good sized burgers.

Do this by taking the meat and rolling into a ball roughly the size of a peach.
Press flat between your hands and lay on a board.
Shape the edges round while flat if required.

Fry the burgers on a high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes a side.

Once you turn the burger put the cheese on top

so it can melt while the second side cooks

We made fresh bread rolls with dough from our superb bread maker.

A Panasonic that we've had for over two years now and couldn't do without.

I can count on my hand the number of times we have bought bread since buying it.
These were made with wholemeal flour and were delicious with the rabbit.

For the spicy tomato mayonnaise

simple chop the sun dried tomatoes,

add to the mayonnaise along with the

tomato puree and Tabasco sauce and mix together.

Build your burger.

Start with the salad, red onion and tomato,

then the spice mayonnaise and burger,

topped off with the Gherkin and sliced radish

Dig in!

SMOKED MACKEREL, LENTIL & ASPARAGUS SALAD

Smoke mackerel is dead cheap, versatile and incredibly flavoursome

and we usually have a pack in the freezer on standby.

Perfect in pasta, I often make a mackerel carbonara which I will add to the blog soon.

In a sandwich with lashings of mayo or in crunchy salads like this lentil one.

The Salad

2 smoked mackerel fillets

6-8 asparagus - blanched 

1 red onion - sliced

1 tin of green lentils - rinsed

2 handfuls of rocket leaves

1 tomato - sliced

2 free range eggs 

The French dressing 

1 tbsp olive oil, 

1/2 lemon juice 

1tsp Dijon

Pinch of sugar

Serves 2

Cook the asparagus for 3-4 minutes and plunge straight into cold water.

Boil  the eggs for 5 minutes and again plunge into cold water.

In the meantime, skin the mackerel removing any large pin bones and

break up in to large pieces.

Slice the onion and the tomato and throw into a mixing bowl along with the lentils, 

asparagus, rocket and mackerel.

To make the dressing

Put the Dijon mustard into a small bowl and spoon on the olive oil a little at a time,

 stirring well to combine before you add more.

When all the oil is combined add the lemon juice and sugar.

Stir and leave to sit for a few minutes to allow the sugar to dissolve.

Drizzle the dressing over the prepared salad and toss

Serve the salad onto two plates, half the eggs and place them on the top