BANK HOLIDAY BAKING

Banoffee Pie & Bread Pudding for the Queens Jubilee weekend

Not ground breaking but great for using up left overs

Ingredients

300g oat biscuits

70g melted butter

3 banana's - sliced

300ml double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

297g Nestle carnation caramel

50g melted dark chocolate for decoration

Blend up the biscuits and add the melted butter

Press into a flan dish with removable base and leave to cool for 10 minutes

Spread over the caramel and refrigerate for an hour

Layer over the sliced banana.

Whip the cream, fold in the icing sugar and gently spread over the banana

Drizzle over the melted chocolate

Keep chilled

Bread Pudding

 Ingredients

500g stale bread (we used bread rolls)

200ml milk

100g sugar

100g butter

200g sultanas or raisins

2 eggs

Zest and juice of half a lemon

Generous grating of nutmeg

Pinch of Cinnamon

Measure of whiskey (optional)

Light brown sugar to sprinkle over the top

Cube the bread and put into a large mixing bowl.

Tip over the milk, stir and leave to soak into the bread for half an hour

Whisk up the eggs and mix in to the milk soaked bread

Add the sugar, butter, dried fruit, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon and whiskey and stir in.

Line a deep baking dish 20cm x 30cm with grease-proof paper and pour in the mixture.

Sprinkle of a good helping of light brown sugar for a sweet crispy top 

and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 170 degrees

Allow to cool and cut into 3cm fingers

Sometimes the old classics are enough!

JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

The picnic in the park for the Queens jubilee which due to the great British weather, turned into a pint and a pork pie in the park, with waterproofs and a big brollie.

Still, there was a good crowd with plenty more beers later!

God bless her.

THE FAMILY BUTCHERS - WAY BACK WHEN...

My dear old Granddad, who incidentally was 103 last month, comes from a family of butchers going back three generations. Here's a photo of one of their shops in London, taken in the 1890's.

Only those wearing aprons worked in the shop, so who were the rest?

Customers of the Middleton arms we think!

Behind all the carcasses is the family name, Baker as shown on this photo found
on line here Baker & Sons Butchers

SOYA & GINGER VENISON FILLET

 Seeing as it was national barbecue week last week and the weather was good, we decided to cook up the venison fillet we still had left.

First thing to do is trim off any sinew (the stringy bit!)

The best way to do this is using the same technique as skinning a fish.

Place on a chopping board.

Start with the sinew facing upwards and using the tip of a sharp knife, lift up a corner of the sinew and carefully slice the meat away until you about 25mm loose.

Turn the meat over so the sinew is underneath, continue to slice along whilst pulling the sinew. 

Keep the knife flat to the chopping board. 

The meat is now ready to marinate.

Do this at least a couple of hours before or over night if you have time.

1tspn dried ginger

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp ground nut oil

2 tsp vegetable oil

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

Cook on the BBQ for 4-5 minutes a side, constantly turning.

We cooked ours to a core temperature of 55 degrees which is medium rare.

Thinly slice across the grain of the meat as shown and serve



  

                  

French stick with cranberry and Dijon mustard

                              

  

YAY, WE GOT GOOSEBERRIES!

SAUCY LAMB SHANKS

A lip smacking meaty feast with a positively perfect vegetable combination.
 Your friends and family will adore this easy, one pot meal.

Serves 4

Four lamb shanks

3 carrots, cut into large chucks

2 celery sticks, cut into large chunks

2 onions, cut into large chucks

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp flour

1 glass of white wine

1tbsp cider vinegar

2 dessertspoon tomato puree

1 bay leaf

600ml water

Bouquet garni (herbs of your choice - we tied together,
thyme, mint, rosemary, chive, lovage and oregano from the garden but use what you have!)

Brown the lamb shanks in a frying pan with a little oil and transfer to a casserole dish.
Place in a warm oven to await the rest of the ingredients.

Throw all the prepared vegetables into the same frying pan as the lamb was in and fry off for 5 minutes on a medium heat.

Take off the heat and stir in the flour.
Put back onto the heat and add the wine, cider vinegar, tomato puree, bay leaf and water.
Simmer gently while stirring to to warm all the ingredients through and combine together.

Take the lamb shanks from the oven and turn up the temperature to 180 degrees
Pour over the vegetable gravy and add your bouquet garni.

Cover with the casserole lid and put back in the oven to cook for 2.5 hours.

Serve with crushed or mash potato or white or brown rice

Or as we did, cous cous with chopped prunes and toasted pumpkin seeds...

...and fresh green beans

 Succulent and sweet with just the right amount of gravy juice to mop up with your mash!



BRIOCHE BREAD & BUTTER PUDDING

A quick and easy pudding that you can throw together in 10 minutes and everyone will love.

An alternative to the traditional bread and butter version using French brioche.

You can also use stale croissants or hot cross buns and sprinkle over flaked almonds for an extra

nutty crunch

Ingredients

5 French Brioche Rolls, cut in half and lightly buttered

3 eggs

1/2 pint milk

2 dessert spoons caster sugar

4 drops of vanilla extract

golden syrup

Place the buttered brioche rolls into a baking dish

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large jug.

Mix in the sugar and the vanilla extract and pour over the brioche rolls

If time, leave to soak in for half an hour

Drizzle over a spoonful of golden syrup and then

Bake in the oven in a bain marie for 20 minutes at 180 degrees

Serve with a spoonful of strawberry jam and pour over double cream.