Yesterday I had the pleasure of demonstating basic bread making to an audience at the Baptist Church in Haddenham. Having made up a focaccia, a plain white loaf, a walnut loaf and a sweet, Christmas spiced loaf the night before I showed various kneading techniques and proving methods. I also made butter live to have with the bread. I shall post the recipes and some photos later. My thanks go to the team at the church.
Yesterday was also the Beautiful Wife's birthday and we have a small tradition that the ladygets exactly what she wznts for her breakfast on her birthday. So yesterday we started the day with Eggs Benadict! I know its basically a heart attack on a plate but what a great way to start the day!
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
Bread recipe - a little late!
Sorry about this I promised a bread recipe a while ago and so here it is! After all making bread is all about patience I suppose.
1KG Strong bread flour
15gms Fresh yeast
15gms Salt
15gms Butter (optional but I like it)
600gms (yes I do mean gms)
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, water, broken up butter and crumbled yeast. Work this with your fingers until this all comes together - this will feel really messy but the bowl should come clean by the end.
Then the kneading - Don't flour your surface! Everyone needs to find their own way with this but the idea is to stretch and bring back the dough so that it forms a soft pliable ball. I push the dough away in one stroke then draw it back towards me in juddering rolls. After about 1 minute add the salt and keep on kneading. You should knead for about ten minutes, there is little risk of over-kneading by hand so go long rather than hurrying. Its ok for you and the dough to take a rest in the middle!
Clean the bowl with very hot water and make sure it is perfectly dry. sprinkle a little flour (I mean a little) into the bowl and pop in you dough in a nice ball. Cover with cling film and leave in a draft free place at about room temperature (the warm bowl will give it a head start) till it doubles in size (about an hour). I hate the term "knock back" it sounds too violent. Simply fold the risen dough back on itself and knead quite gently. Pop it back in its bowl with a little four and leave, covered for another hour or so.
Pop the oven on to about 230 degrees. Pop a roasting dish of water in the bottom of the oven.
Lift out the dough and cut in two. Shape these into rugby ball like loaf shapes, place on a baking sheet or baking tray and sprinkle some flour over the top (it won't become part of the bread so be generous) leave gently covered for about 30 minutes.
With a very, very sharp knife or scalpel make three slashes in each loaf. Pop in the oven. After about 10 minutes turn down to 210 and remove the water. Bake until they are as brown as you like! Allow to cool on a rack and enjoy.
Remember - "Real men (and women) bake bread"
1KG Strong bread flour
15gms Fresh yeast
15gms Salt
15gms Butter (optional but I like it)
600gms (yes I do mean gms)
In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, water, broken up butter and crumbled yeast. Work this with your fingers until this all comes together - this will feel really messy but the bowl should come clean by the end.
Then the kneading - Don't flour your surface! Everyone needs to find their own way with this but the idea is to stretch and bring back the dough so that it forms a soft pliable ball. I push the dough away in one stroke then draw it back towards me in juddering rolls. After about 1 minute add the salt and keep on kneading. You should knead for about ten minutes, there is little risk of over-kneading by hand so go long rather than hurrying. Its ok for you and the dough to take a rest in the middle!
Clean the bowl with very hot water and make sure it is perfectly dry. sprinkle a little flour (I mean a little) into the bowl and pop in you dough in a nice ball. Cover with cling film and leave in a draft free place at about room temperature (the warm bowl will give it a head start) till it doubles in size (about an hour). I hate the term "knock back" it sounds too violent. Simply fold the risen dough back on itself and knead quite gently. Pop it back in its bowl with a little four and leave, covered for another hour or so.
Pop the oven on to about 230 degrees. Pop a roasting dish of water in the bottom of the oven.
Lift out the dough and cut in two. Shape these into rugby ball like loaf shapes, place on a baking sheet or baking tray and sprinkle some flour over the top (it won't become part of the bread so be generous) leave gently covered for about 30 minutes.
With a very, very sharp knife or scalpel make three slashes in each loaf. Pop in the oven. After about 10 minutes turn down to 210 and remove the water. Bake until they are as brown as you like! Allow to cool on a rack and enjoy.
Remember - "Real men (and women) bake bread"
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Yeasterday!
No, despite my record the spelling is correct.
Yesterday I spent an afternoon dealing with the two great uses for yeast.
After my midday swim I began my latest beer kit and also made some bread.
At present I am making beer using kits which can be purchased for between £15 and £24. It is a remarkably simple way to produce 30 to 40 pints of perfectly drinkable beer at a fraction of the cost to buy.
Many specialist, micro and craft breweries have grown out of the home brew sector and some, like St Peter's produce kits for people to make their beer at home.
This is the simple, entry level to home brewing and during October I plan to make my first "all grain" brew! I buy my ingredients and kits at Hops and Vines in Witney and the team there have never been anything except encouraging and helpful.
The other part of Yeasterday was the Focaccia which took me several goes to spell correctly (even now I have doubts) This is a great loaf for a lazy lunch with some cheese and dried and cured meats - We're back to trying to work out salami again!
 |
| Beer kit ready to go |
After my midday swim I began my latest beer kit and also made some bread.
At present I am making beer using kits which can be purchased for between £15 and £24. It is a remarkably simple way to produce 30 to 40 pints of perfectly drinkable beer at a fraction of the cost to buy.
 |
| "Pitching" the yeast |
This is the simple, entry level to home brewing and during October I plan to make my first "all grain" brew! I buy my ingredients and kits at Hops and Vines in Witney and the team there have never been anything except encouraging and helpful.
The other part of Yeasterday was the Focaccia which took me several goes to spell correctly (even now I have doubts) This is a great loaf for a lazy lunch with some cheese and dried and cured meats - We're back to trying to work out salami again!
 |
| Foca...focca...focac...Italian Bread |
Tuesday, 18 August 2015
Bringing home the bacon!
Firstly I must thank Tony, Sally and all the good folks of What's Cooking in Thame who allowed me to use their equipment earlier to slice the pork that has been sitting in my fridge for a week, slowly becoming bacon. Also it was lovely of them to make the right "nyom nyom" noises when we fried off some to taste.
As mentioned earlier in this blog, I made two batches, one standard and one slightly sweeter. To be honest, if you didn't know the sweetcure was, in fact, swetcure then you probably wouldn't have spotted it, but both batches were both edible and clearly bacon.
During a discussion about what I should try next, the single word "SALAMI!" rang out from an office; I am at present trying to work out a way to fully dry and mature a salami, without a cold room, in the UK, without killing anyone who eats it!
I was recently involved in a typically "blokey" debate and I would be interested in anyone's opinion on this: What is the most important component of a Full English Breakfast? Some fell on the side of Bacon others on the side of the Sausage, Egg was considered. One person even suggested Baked Beans (we don't talk to him anymore).
As mentioned earlier in this blog, I made two batches, one standard and one slightly sweeter. To be honest, if you didn't know the sweetcure was, in fact, swetcure then you probably wouldn't have spotted it, but both batches were both edible and clearly bacon.
I was recently involved in a typically "blokey" debate and I would be interested in anyone's opinion on this: What is the most important component of a Full English Breakfast? Some fell on the side of Bacon others on the side of the Sausage, Egg was considered. One person even suggested Baked Beans (we don't talk to him anymore).
Friday, 14 August 2015
Sausages and more.
It was once said that the two things you should never see being made were Sausages and Laws. I'm sure that this dates back to the days when anything that it was impossible for a butcher to sell went into the sausage meat. Though, with the present cynicism about politics I'm equally sure that the second half of the joke rings true today. I am reliably told , by Jim MacKeller of Orchard View Farm that, as a nation we are eating fewer sausages but we are demanding higher quality sausages too. This is indeed heartening news as quality over quantity is without doubt the way forward if we are to make farming in the UK, and the rest of the world sustainable.
I did a course on Sausage making at Orchard View earlier this year and, with the time made available by a Teacher's Summer Holidays, I decided to make some at home.
I purchased 3 Kg of Pork shoulder (From Orchard View) and minced this. I split this into three equal batches. I had also bought some natural casings and some rusk.
Keeping everything, including the equipment, as cold as I could, I set about making three very different styles of sausage.
First up was a Toulouse inspired sausage. Much garlic (and I mean MUCH) was crushed and mixed into the meat with some cooked smoked pork loin which was finely cubed. This was seasoned, water and rusk added, and then sent through the gadget!
Next was an Italian inspired sausage with a little garlic, crushed fennel seeds and some chopped rosemary.
Finally I went to an almost Lincolnshire with sage from the garden of Corner Cottage. I had meant to add some nutmeg or mace but simply forgot!
All three types were cooked and tasted. The Beautiful Wife declared them a success, especially the Toulouse. (Then again, we are both "garlic heads").
I also picked up some Pork Belly and used a commercially available cure (Laycock's) to turn this into bacon. This is being turned and drained daily at the moment so should be ready by the middle of next week. One piece has been simply cured and another has had a little bit of sugar added to the cure.
 |
| Feeding the meat into the casings. |
I purchased 3 Kg of Pork shoulder (From Orchard View) and minced this. I split this into three equal batches. I had also bought some natural casings and some rusk.
Keeping everything, including the equipment, as cold as I could, I set about making three very different styles of sausage.
First up was a Toulouse inspired sausage. Much garlic (and I mean MUCH) was crushed and mixed into the meat with some cooked smoked pork loin which was finely cubed. This was seasoned, water and rusk added, and then sent through the gadget!
 |
| Linked in threes (like knitting with meat!) |
Finally I went to an almost Lincolnshire with sage from the garden of Corner Cottage. I had meant to add some nutmeg or mace but simply forgot!
All three types were cooked and tasted. The Beautiful Wife declared them a success, especially the Toulouse. (Then again, we are both "garlic heads").
I also picked up some Pork Belly and used a commercially available cure (Laycock's) to turn this into bacon. This is being turned and drained daily at the moment so should be ready by the middle of next week. One piece has been simply cured and another has had a little bit of sugar added to the cure.
Monday, 1 June 2015
Rhubarb and custard with an Italian twist.
During March I met up with my old English teacher and his wife and they treated me to lunch in the wonderful Purslane restaurant in Cheltenham. www.purslane-restaurant.co.uk . All three courses were wonderful but what stood out for me was the pudding. Those who know me will now be tutting and muttering "but he always has cheese, what is going on?". They would of course be right, my default position is nearly always to finish a meal with cheese but I was very glad that I did not on this occasion. I ordered The Panna cotta with rhubarb and I have no regrets, not even a nagging worry about what they might have had on their cheese board.
Rhubarb and custard is, of course, a glorious combination and the contrast of sweet and soft with sharp and firm is, indeed, a beautiful thing. The use of Panna cotta as the custard lends a certain elegance and joy to this meeting of flavours,
It was only upon my return that I remembered where I had seen this combination before: Rick Stein's book Coast to Coast. It is with great respect to Mr Stein that I reproduce his recipe here. I am not claiming this to be my own but it is so very good that everyone needs to try this. It is also very simple. I recreated this at the weekend for the visit of my brother in law for lunch. It followed Bangers and Mash (made with my own black pudding sausages)
1 Vanilla Pod
300ml double cream
300ml milk (I used full fat)
6 tbls caster sugar
2 tsp powdered gelatine
2 tbls water
For the stewed rhubarb
350 - 400 gms young pink, thin stemmed rhubarb
100 gms light muscavado sugar
Pared zest and juice of 1/2 orange
50 ml water
Cinnamon stick (I also added a couple of thin slices of root ginger)
For the panna cotta, split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Put both the pod and the seeds into a pan with the cream, milk and sugar and simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile put the 2 tablespoons of cold water into a small pan and sprinkle over the gelatine. Set aside for five minutes then heat gently until clear.
Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and stir in the dissolved gelatine. Pour into 6 dariole moulds or ramekins, cover and chill for 3 hours or until set.
Cut the rhubarb into 1 inch lengths. Put the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, water and cinnamon stick (and ginger) into a pan and leave over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Lift out the orange zest and spices, add the rhubarb and simmer until the rhubarb is just tender. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool in its liquid.
To serve, dip the moulds in tepid water, unmould the panna cotto on to serving plates, spooning some of the rhubarb alongside.
My extra bit!
Earlier I had toasted some jumbo oats in a dry pan, these I sprinkled over the panna cotta to add some texture.
Enjoy!
Rhubarb and custard is, of course, a glorious combination and the contrast of sweet and soft with sharp and firm is, indeed, a beautiful thing. The use of Panna cotta as the custard lends a certain elegance and joy to this meeting of flavours,
It was only upon my return that I remembered where I had seen this combination before: Rick Stein's book Coast to Coast. It is with great respect to Mr Stein that I reproduce his recipe here. I am not claiming this to be my own but it is so very good that everyone needs to try this. It is also very simple. I recreated this at the weekend for the visit of my brother in law for lunch. It followed Bangers and Mash (made with my own black pudding sausages)
1 Vanilla Pod
300ml double cream
300ml milk (I used full fat)
6 tbls caster sugar
2 tsp powdered gelatine
2 tbls water
For the stewed rhubarb
350 - 400 gms young pink, thin stemmed rhubarb
100 gms light muscavado sugar
Pared zest and juice of 1/2 orange
50 ml water
Cinnamon stick (I also added a couple of thin slices of root ginger)
For the panna cotta, split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Put both the pod and the seeds into a pan with the cream, milk and sugar and simmer gently for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile put the 2 tablespoons of cold water into a small pan and sprinkle over the gelatine. Set aside for five minutes then heat gently until clear.
Remove the vanilla pod from the cream and stir in the dissolved gelatine. Pour into 6 dariole moulds or ramekins, cover and chill for 3 hours or until set.
Cut the rhubarb into 1 inch lengths. Put the sugar, orange zest, orange juice, water and cinnamon stick (and ginger) into a pan and leave over a low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Bring to the boil and boil for 3 minutes. Lift out the orange zest and spices, add the rhubarb and simmer until the rhubarb is just tender. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool in its liquid.
To serve, dip the moulds in tepid water, unmould the panna cotto on to serving plates, spooning some of the rhubarb alongside.
My extra bit!
Earlier I had toasted some jumbo oats in a dry pan, these I sprinkled over the panna cotta to add some texture.
Enjoy!
Monday, 18 May 2015
Full, oh so full, of the joys...
I challenge anyone not to feel a deep but gentle joy at the way the seasons change in the UK. The starlings who have been scavenging on my bird table all winter are now raising a brood in the rafters of Corner Cottage, My tomato plants have gone from being puny little filaments to strong vibrant shafts of green, as thick as my little finger, reaching for the trellis (although last Monday, when there was frost on the ground, they did look at me as if to say "Really? Are you sure it's May?").
I have written before of my love of September but right now, for just a few weeks, the English diet is turned upside down. We are justifiably proud of our meat in this country and many of us are excited by the quality and variety of seafood found around our coasts but right now for just a brief month or so it is the vegetables of this green and pleasant land which take centre stage.
Asparagus is with here from late April to late June (strictly speaking the season is from St Georges day to Midsummer day) and we must gorge ourselves whilst we can. A bundle should be in every shopping basket, veg box and hessian bag (for farmers' markets, of course). There are many beautiful things you can do with this delicious (if slightly bizarre) vegetable. It is a friend to butter for simplicity and a friend to egg - poached, fried, boiled, hen, duck or goose - it matters not. Best for me, however, is to combine the two and make an hollandaise sauce. I am aware that this turns a very healthy vegetable into a heart attack on a plate but its only around for such a short period of time and we do need to live a little.
If we lived in a world, and I shudder at the thought, that did not have asparagus in it, then the king of this time of year would surely be Purple Sprouting Broccoli. This evening I made a perfectly pleasant cottage pie for dinner but it was completely upstaged by the lovely stems that I had quickly blanched and placed on our plates as an afterthought. A flavour that just screams "Spring!" at the top of its voice, demanding attention from all the other foods in the kitchen. Rich and subtle, a hint of iron in the taste and just enough cruch to assure one of its freshness - a true monarch of the vegetable kingdom.
What are you waiting for people?
Sunday, 17 May 2015
It's been a while!
I must apologise to those who read my blog that I have been remiss over the past few months and not kept up with my postings. The truth is, this has been a very busy spring term at the chalk face and time has been very short. However, things have calmed down a bit in Corner Cottage and I find myself with a little time to write.
Over the past few months I have felt the need to push aganst modern food trends. Modern "fine dining" has at its core a desire to put as many different ingredients on a plate as possible. One only has to look at the dishes produced on the last season of Masterchef to see that a tiny bit of everything on a plate is now considered the way forward. The only alternative is to cook one ingredient in 25 different ways.
Those of you who have read my blog before will know that I like learning how to provide the basic foods. I have often written about the joys (yes I do mean joys) of making bread. Recently I have been making my own butter.
So it was with a spring in my step that I headed off to Orchard View Farm in March (www.orcharviewfarm.co.uk) to take part in a sausage making course. I cannot tell you how much fun this was. Our instructor, Jim Mackeller, was a brilliant teacher, dealing with questions and mini disasters with humour and a sense of practicality which was refreshing and enlightening. We made two batches of sausages to take home and tasted our first batch at lunch! The beautiful wife and I have been working our way through a freezer full of sausages since! I have mentioned Orchard View before, it may well be one of the finest places in the UK to take breakfast . Their Black Pudding is quite the best I have ever tasted.
The otherbit of news from Corner Cottage is that I am now making my own Beer. So far I have produced beer from kits but I hope to move on to more basic production soon!
Over the past few months I have felt the need to push aganst modern food trends. Modern "fine dining" has at its core a desire to put as many different ingredients on a plate as possible. One only has to look at the dishes produced on the last season of Masterchef to see that a tiny bit of everything on a plate is now considered the way forward. The only alternative is to cook one ingredient in 25 different ways.
Those of you who have read my blog before will know that I like learning how to provide the basic foods. I have often written about the joys (yes I do mean joys) of making bread. Recently I have been making my own butter.
So it was with a spring in my step that I headed off to Orchard View Farm in March (www.orcharviewfarm.co.uk) to take part in a sausage making course. I cannot tell you how much fun this was. Our instructor, Jim Mackeller, was a brilliant teacher, dealing with questions and mini disasters with humour and a sense of practicality which was refreshing and enlightening. We made two batches of sausages to take home and tasted our first batch at lunch! The beautiful wife and I have been working our way through a freezer full of sausages since! I have mentioned Orchard View before, it may well be one of the finest places in the UK to take breakfast . Their Black Pudding is quite the best I have ever tasted.
The otherbit of news from Corner Cottage is that I am now making my own Beer. So far I have produced beer from kits but I hope to move on to more basic production soon!
Monday, 12 January 2015
First thoughts of 2015
The Beautiful Wife gave me a Butter Churn for Christmas and at the weekend I made my first batch of lovely butter. I can hardly tell you how beautiful fresh butter is on warm toast. Now I can make a bacon sandwich from scratch, who could ask for anything more!
Some cream was purchased, poured into the glass container, the lid screwed on and the handle cranked till the cream went from whipped to split. The butter milk was then poured off (great for scones, incidentally) and the solids drained of the remaining liquid. This was then "washed" with cold water to ensure all of the buttermilk was gone. A little salt was added. I now have 4 ramekins of butter sitting in the fridge. I don't think I have ever eaten so much toast!
Over the past few days, I have been wondering why I blog. I have no aspirations to be a full time food writer, though I am delighted when anyone reads my ramblings and almost overjoyed when they comment. However, one of the main reasons why I blog is that it is unedited.
This can, however, cause its own issues. It has been pointed out that in my last post, there was an amusing spelling error. Just to clarify: At no stage was there any giggling from my roast potatoes at Christmas, just a little jiggling. Though if I had been grown in a beautiful organic field, gently peeled and par boiled, in preparation to be roasted in a duck fat rendered from an organic, free range bird, then I might afford my self a wry smile of superiority if not actually out right laughter.
Much, much more important than exposing poor proof reading, the fact that we bloggers have no editors means that one reads exactly what has been written by the blogger, warts 'n' all.
I revel in that freedom, and consequently, when I read entries from many months ago I also cringe at the mistakes and the lack of cohesion in my ramblings.
My New Year wish to you all is that you live your lives unedited.
Je suis Charlie
Some cream was purchased, poured into the glass container, the lid screwed on and the handle cranked till the cream went from whipped to split. The butter milk was then poured off (great for scones, incidentally) and the solids drained of the remaining liquid. This was then "washed" with cold water to ensure all of the buttermilk was gone. A little salt was added. I now have 4 ramekins of butter sitting in the fridge. I don't think I have ever eaten so much toast!
 |
| Butter and my Christmas present |
Over the past few days, I have been wondering why I blog. I have no aspirations to be a full time food writer, though I am delighted when anyone reads my ramblings and almost overjoyed when they comment. However, one of the main reasons why I blog is that it is unedited.
This can, however, cause its own issues. It has been pointed out that in my last post, there was an amusing spelling error. Just to clarify: At no stage was there any giggling from my roast potatoes at Christmas, just a little jiggling. Though if I had been grown in a beautiful organic field, gently peeled and par boiled, in preparation to be roasted in a duck fat rendered from an organic, free range bird, then I might afford my self a wry smile of superiority if not actually out right laughter.
Much, much more important than exposing poor proof reading, the fact that we bloggers have no editors means that one reads exactly what has been written by the blogger, warts 'n' all.
I revel in that freedom, and consequently, when I read entries from many months ago I also cringe at the mistakes and the lack of cohesion in my ramblings.
My New Year wish to you all is that you live your lives unedited.
Je suis Charlie
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