So, it seems that my sister, J, has started taking a passion into cooking. This doesn’t at all surprise me, considering I come from a family that is passionate about food. On Saturday, she was ranting about making apple crumble with custard on Facebook. I haven’t had apple crumble in yonks. She was going to have it with Ambrosia custard, oh yum. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind, I had to bake something!

I had lemons in the fridge, I was going to make lemon bars again, but then I thought sod it, I have all of the ingredients to make apple crumble, so why not? I ended up adapted a Jamie Oliver recipe, which was pretty good. I reduced the recipe by half, but kept the crumble topping the same. The crumble itself, has a little twist, in that it is made with wholemeal (whole wheat) flour and oats. However, you can go the whole hog and use flour, if you wish, or add chopped nuts.

The resulting crumble was delicious. I served it with homemade custard and I ate it all in one sitting. Not surprising that I had to pass out a little while afterwards though!

For the best results, try to use a smaller, but deeper dish, this will give you a thicker crumble on top.

APPLE CRUMBLE

Adapted from Jamie Oliver – Apple Crumble

Serves 4

Ingredients

Apple base

• 450 g (1 lb) apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon water
• 25 – 50 g (2 -4 tablespoons) raw cane (turbinado) sugar, depending on taste
• 1 big pinch ground cinnamon

Crumble topping

• 70 g (7 ½ tablespoons) wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
• 70 g (4 ½ tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 70 g (2/3 c) rolled oats
• 25 g (2 tablespoons) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 1 small pinch salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

2. Place apples, water, sugar and cinnamon into a small saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, make the crumble, by rubbing the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats, sugar and salt.

4. Transfer apples into baking dish/bowl, level out gently, then scatter crumble over the top, do not press down.

5. Bake in middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden. Serve alone, with custard, cream or ice cream, enjoy!

In the summer of 2005, I was on vacation in the West Country in the UK. To be honest, it didn’t really feel like a vacation, because I was living in the UK at the time, but it was a great getaway for a long weekend. There were a few things that I wanted to do during this trip, which was accomplished, including eating real Cornish pasties and having a cream tea.

I did wonder why a “cream tea” was so darn expensive. Only to realize that it contained tea, scones, clotted cream and jam. I remember it was rainy and dull, and the cream tea was welcomed with open arms. The scones are slightly dry, but go so well with a thick layer of clotted cream and strawberry jam. They were SOOOO good. It was funny because I thought that I could feel my arteries clogging up with every mouthful, but the taste, flavor and texture was so worth it!

When I saw Devonshire clotted cream on sale in the shops in the US, I had to buy a jar! I eventually made a batch of Devonshire scones, which essentially weren’t Devonshire, since they were made in Greater Seattle, but nonetheless, they were absolutely delicious! The scones are quick to whip up, they freeze well and are absolutely wonderful. The only question is do you prefer to put clotted cream on before the jam or the other way around? Myself, I prefer cream then jam, but either way, they are to be enjoyed!

For the American audience, the scones are similar to biscuits, but are a little dryer, slightly sweet and intended to be eaten with tea.

DEVONSHIRE SCONES

Makes about 8

Ingredients

• 225 g (1 ½ c) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 small pinch salt
• 50 g (a little more than 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 25 g (2 tablespoons) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 150 ml (2/3 c) milk
• 1 egg, beaten for brushing

For serving

• Clotted cream, or if difficult to find, use freshly whipped cream
• Strawberry jam

Method

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F), and line a baking tray (sheet/pan) with parchment paper.

2. In  a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then stir in the sugar.

4. Add the milk, and quickly, but gently mix to form a sticky dough. Try not to over handle, or over knead the dough, this will create very rubbery scones.

5. Work quickly from this point onwards. Flour a surface and pat down the dough to about 1.25 cm (½ inch) thick.

6. Cut out rounds using a 6 cm (2 ½ inch) round cutter, transfer onto prepared baking tray (sheet/pan).  Gently and lightly reform the dough and repeat.

7. Brush the tops of the scones with beaten egg and bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until well risen and very lightly coloured.

8. Allow to cool on a wire rack, before splitting and enjoying with clotted cream and jam.

I was first introduced to panettone in 1999 by an Italian colleague. Panettone is the most wonderful bread ever. The last 2-3 years, I made an effort to buy one to scoff over Christmas. Before you know it, the whole panettone had gone! I mean, what is there not to love? The bread is light, fluffy, lightly sweet, slightly dry and fruity. The weird thing is why do people only enjoy it over the festive season? It is such a wonderful bread, that it should be enjoyed all year around!

This year, I decided to make my own at home. Don’t ask me why, but I wanted to try. I made eight mini ones, but because finding panettone cases are pretty difficult to find, except in online shops, I made my own. The recipe came from Bernhard Clayton’s book, which has always produced great results for me. This was no exception, the panettone was delicious! I’d definitely make them again.

PERFECT PANETTONE

Makes 8 mini panettone

Adapted from “Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads”, by Bernhard Clayton

Ingredients

For the starter

• 55 g (5 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
• ½ tablespoon dried active yeast
• 2 tablespoon warm water
• ½ t liquid sweetener, such as honey or agave

For the remainder

• 150 ml (2/3 c) warm milk
• 525 g (3 ½ c) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 60 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 100 g (½ c) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 4 tablespoons chopped mixed peel
• 1 tablespoon chopped nuts
• ½ T crushed aniseed
• 50 g (1/3 c) raisins/cranberries

To dot

• 30 g (2 tablespoons) butter

Method

1 . Make the starter, by mixing together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.

2. Transfer starter dough in to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add warm milk and mix using a dough hook on slow speed.

3. Add half of the flour and salt, mix until well incorporated.

4. Add butter, yolks, egg and sugar, mix until well incorporated.

5. Gradually add the flour, whilst mixing/kneading until you get a slightly tacky dough.

6. Knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, then add the mixed peel, nuts, aniseed and raisins. Knead until well incorporated.

7. Cover the bowl and let rise in a warm spot for 1.5-2 hours or until double in bulk.

8. Divide the dough into 8 equal sized pieces and place into mini panettone cases. Put them onto a baking tray (sheet/pan) and cover with a damp tea (kitchen) towel and let rise for 1.5-2 hours or until double in size.

9. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

10. Cut a cross into the tops of each panettone using a serrated knife. Place into the middle of the oven and bake for 5 minutes.

11. Pull out the tray (sheet/pan) and put a dot of butter into the middle of the cross of each panettone and return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes, or until nicely browned, and well risen.

12. Allow to cool before devouring. Enjoy!

Lemon bars are quite popular in the US, but I’d never heard of them until we moved here. They were requested for an event that I was providing the catering for. The first batch was somewhat of a disaster (… don’t ask), but the second worked well.

Since then, I made another smaller batch over the Christmas season. They are now becoming my favorite go to recipe. The shortbread like base is crisp and buttery, and the custard like topping is zesty, tangy and lemony. They are basically like a transformed version of lemon meringue pie, without the meringue.

The following recipe uses a tin with the size: 20 x 10 cm (8 x 4 cm), but can be easily doubled to make 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch)

BEST EVER LEMON BARS

Makes 8 – 5 cm (2 inch) squares

Adapted from  Allrecipes: The Best Lemon Bars

Ingredients

For the buttery base

• 60 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted European butter, melted
• 25 g (2 tablespoons) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 75 g (½ c) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 tiny pinch salt

For the lemon custard topping

• 1 large egg
• 75 g (6 tablespoons) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 1 tablespoon plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line one 20 x 10 cm (8 x 4 inch) tin with parchment paper.

2. To make the base, mix together the melted butter, sugar and plain flour. It should be a wet dough. Spread evenly onto the bottom of the tin and about 1.25 cm (½ inch) up the edges.

3. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or until lightly brown.

4. Meanwhile, make the lemon custard, by beating together the egg, sugar, flour, zest and juice.

5. Once the pastry case (shell) is ready, pour the lemon mixture into it and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

6. Allow to cool before cutting into squares. Dust with icing (confectioners) sugar before serving. Enjoy!

These cookies are fabulous. They are quick and easy to make, chocolaty, squidgy, soft, rich, dairy-free and absolutely scrummy. Did I mention they are only around 100 calories each? I think they went down a treat at work.

I needed to create a cookie platter (along with 5-6 other platters) for a recent wine tasting event, where I was donating the catering. Since my cookie recipe repertoire isn’t very big, I scoured the internet for something quick and easy. This platter alone consisted of chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, lemon bars and these brownie cookies.

I scaled down the original recipe and used olive oil and wholemeal (whole wheat) flour instead. The best thing about this recipe is that the ingredients are most likely already in your kitchen! The dough/batter needs to chill for 1-2 hours, this step is important for the texture and shaping of the cookies. I tried the recipe with and without chilling and found the results were better with chilling.

For a variation, why not throw in a small handful of nuts or chocolate chips?

SQUIDGY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE COOKIES – DAIRY FREE

Adapted from  Allrecipes.co.uk – Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Makes 11

Ingredients

• 25 g (¼ c) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 100 g (½ c) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 65 g (7 tablespoons) wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
• ½ t baking powder
• 1 small pinch salt
• 1-2 tablespoons chopped nuts/chocolate chips (optional)
• icing (confectioners) sugar, sifted to coat

Method

1. Mix the cocoa powder, sugar, olive oil, egg, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt and chopped nuts/chocolate chips, if using, in a small bowl. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.

2. Thirty minutes before baking, preheat oven 180°C (350°F), and line a baking tray (sheet/pan) with parchment paper or silicone mat.

3. Take 1 tablespoon of the dough and form into a ball. Roll the ball in icing (confectioners) sugar, but do not shake off the excess. Place onto the prepared tray (sheet/pan) and lightly flatten. Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving 5 cm (2 inch) between each ball.

4. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove promptly from the oven and let cool on the tray (sheet/pan) for 2-3 minutes, then carefully transfer each cookie onto a wire rack to cool fully. Enjoy!

These are my favorite Dutch specialties. They bring wonderful warm memories of December and Christmas. I daren’t even think about the sugar, fat or calories in these things. However, they do have a redeeming feature – they contain almonds, although I doubt this counteracts the naughtiness of them. They are definitely worth the splurge once in a while.

I find these the perfect. Why? I love the Dutch spiced biscuits (cookies), speculaas, and I also love almond paste. When you get layers of speculaas wrapped around a thick layer of almond paste, what is there not to love? It’s like heaven for me. I would gladly work out for a longer amount of time just to enjoy these goodies!

The recipe was adapted from The Dutch Table. I used 100% wholemeal (whole wheat flour), halved the recipe, as the original recipe was far too big for one, but doubled the almond paste, and reduced  the sugar by half. The result was fabulous. It’s probably the best gevulde speculaas I’ve ever eaten, and that includes all of the ones that have been bought in the patisseries in the Netherlands!

I had a little speculaas dough left over when I finished shaping, so I made it into a mini speculaas with almonds on top. It was divine!!! So, if you’re not too fond of almond paste, or just prefer to make speculaas brokken, use this recipe to make the dough and roll into a thick slab before baking.

GEVULDE SPECULAAS – DUTCH SPICED BISCUIT (COOKIE) FILLED WITH ALMOND PASTE

Adapted from The Dutch Table: Gevulde Speculaas

Makes 8 decent pieces

Ingredients

For the almond paste

• 145 g (1 c) whole, raw, skin-on almonds
• 60 g (½ c) icing (confectioners) sugar, more if you like almond paste sweeter
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 large egg, separated

For the speculaas

• 150 g (1 c) wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
• 75 g (5 tablespoons) unsalted European butter
• 110 g (½ c) dark muscuvado (brown) sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 small pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon of speculaas spice*
• 2 tablespoons milk, or as required

* For the speculaas spice: mix together 1 heaped tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 pinch finely ground white or black pepper

Method

1. Place almonds into a bowl, and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes, then pop the almonds out of their skins. Reserve 8 halves.

2. Place remaining almonds into a food processor and blitz until the texture resembles fine crumbs.

3. Add the egg white and almond extract and blitz until smooth, then add the icing (confectioners) sugar, blitz again. If the mixture is not smooth and spreadable, add a little beaten egg yolk. Cover and chill until needed.

4. Rub butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, mix in sugar, baking powder, salt and spices. Then add just enough milk to make the dough come together. Wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill overnight or for upto 2 days.

5. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).

6. Line one 20 x 10 cm (8 x 4 inch) loaf tin (pan) with parchment paper.

7. Divide the spiced dough into two pieces, one ever-so-slightly larger than the other.

8. Roll out the larger piece of dough to line the base of the loaf tin (pan), making sure there is about 1 inch in height up the tin (pan).

9. Spread the almond paste onto the rolled dough and even out with the back of a wet spoon.

10. Roll the second piece of dough and place on top of the almond paste, making sure you seal the joins. Trim off any excess and use this to make an additional speculaas.

11. Lightly score the top with a blunt knife to make 8 squares, and press one almond half in each square. Brush with beaten egg yolk, and bake in middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes.

12. Let sit for 5 minutes in the tin (pan), and then remove and let cool on a wire rack. Once cool, slice and enjoy!

It’s closing in on December 5^th, and it’s this time of year when there are normally gifts and wonderful Dutch goodies in the house. Only this year, there are none. It was J who introduced me to these wonderful culinary delights, and for 10.5 years we had been together, I had never made taai-taai, speculaas or gevulde speculaas. This was because my mother-in-law would furnish us with a food parcel at this time of year.

Taai-taai aren’t exactly cookies, they are closer to gingerbread. They are spiced differently too, similar to that you would find in Dutch spiced biscuits (cookies), speculaas. They are soft, tough, chewy and incredibly moreish, made to be enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee, and are definitely a good work out for your jaw! The shop-bought ones are often shaped in the form of Sinterklaas, however, I used a gingerbread man cutter.

The recipe was taken from The Dutch Table, my favorite website for Dutch recipes. I could not use all that white flour, so used half wholemeal (whole wheat) flour, and there was no pancake syrup left in the house, so I used golden syrup. It produced the most delicious taai-taai, which were better than the shop-bought variety. The funniest thing is, after eating four of them, I realized that although they were tasty, I was not a huge fan of them, J always liked them better.

TAAI-TAAI – DUTCH CHEWY SPICED HONEY CAKE DOLLS

Adapted from The Dutch Table: TaaiTaai (Dutch Honey Cake Dolls)

Makes 10 – 9 cm (3 ½ inch) dolls

Ingredients

• 115 g (⅓ c) honey
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground aniseed
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cloves
• 250 g (1 ⅔ c) plain (all-purpose) flour* or mixture of half plain (all-purpose) and half wholemeal (whole wheat)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder*
• water, as needed
• 1 egg, beaten

* If you have self-raising (-rising) flour, skip the baking powder

Method

1. Place the honey and syrup into a medium sized metal bowl.

2. Place bowl directly on the hob (stove) over low heat. Stir until the mixture is combined and very liquid.

3. Take off heat and stir in salt, cinnamon, aniseed, nutmeg and cloves.

4. In another bowl, mix together the flour and baking powder, then pour into the warmed spiced honey.

5. Stir, and then combine with your hands to form a smooth non-sticky dough. You may need to add some water at this stage, add 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together.

6. Wrap the dough in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill overnight or upto 2 days.

7. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking tray (sheet/pan) with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

8. Flour the surface and dough, then roll the dough to 8 mm (1/3 inch) thick and stamp out the gingerbread men shapes.

9. Carefully transfer the shapes onto the prepared baking tray (sheet/pan). Re-roll and repeat until all of the dough is used up.

10. Brush the shapes with beaten egg and bake in middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

11. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool before enjoying!

I was so excited to have Thanksgiving and Black Friday off this year. It was four days off in a row. That’s the most I have had since I started work at my new place in May. However, I was greeted with some personal issues a couple of days before, which resulted in me thinking long and hard about my future.

I don’t usually celebrate Thanksgiving. In fact, I go out of my way not to celebrate Thanksgiving. Why? I am a non-American, and am thankful everyday for what I have. To demonstrate how I went out of my way not to celebrate it, I had a whole chicken that I wanted to roast, but decided to roast it on Friday instead. I didn’t want to be seen as celebrating Thanksgiving.

On waking up on Thanksgiving day, and experiencing what I was experiencing, I decided that from this year forward, I would celebrate it. That day was a major turning point in my life, and I needed to acknowledge it. I roasted my chicken (not turkey), and had my meal. I’m not a fan of pumpkin pie, so decided to create some pumpkin custard pies (tarts) instead. I made two, so I could enjoy Thanksgiving dinner again on Saturday. It didn’t last that long, I scoffed it on Friday, and I found that the flavor developed wonderfully after chilling overnight.

The pies (tarts) are absolutely wonderful. The pastry (crust) is buttery, light and extremely thin. The filling is nicely spiced, creamy and delicious. I had to restrain myself from eating two in one go! Can’t wait to make them again!

SPICED PUMPKIN CUSTARD PIES (TARTS)

Makes 2 x 4 inch pies (tarts)

Ingredients

For the crust

• 55 g (5 ¾ tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 28 g (2 tablespoons) good quality unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 10 g (1 ½ tablespoons) icing (confectioners) sugar
• milk, as required

For the custard

• 1 large egg, preferably duck egg
• 45 ml (3 tablespoons) milk
• 20 g (3 tablespoons) icing (confectioners) sugar
• 45 g (3 tablespoons) pumpkin puree
• ½-1 teaspoon pumpkin spice, dependent on taste

Method

1. Rub cold butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, and then mix in the sugar and add just enough milk to make the dough come together.

2. Divide dough into two equal sized balls and press each into one 10 cm (4 inch) tart tin. The crust will be very thin, do not worry. Chill for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

4. Fill each tart tin with a piece of foil and fill with baking beans/weights. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove the beans/weights and foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, mix together the custard ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Divide the custard into the par-baked pastry cases (crusts) when they are ready.

6. Bake for 10 minutes or until the custard has just set. The middle should wobble when agitated. Let cool and enjoy!

Bar Walkers cheese & onion crisps (chips), the combination of cheese and onion does not conjure up good food memories for me. All I can remember is cheese and onion pies, pasties or rolls tasted like sick. When I say sick, I mean the taste you get in your mouth after you’ve been sick. What the heck they put in them savory pastries is beyond me, but they were absolutely vile. Because of this, I have avoided combining onions with cheese with anything, that was until we made some flat bread topped with goat cheese and caramelized onions for a catering event – man, that was so very yum (and didn’t taste like sick!)

Moving on from this, I was browsing Nicole’s website, The Dutch Table one lunch, and was drooling over her recipe for kaas – uienbrood (cheese and onion bread). Since I’ve known J, I’ve been interested in Dutch cuisine and trying to recreate what he may have eaten when he was younger. This was a recipe that had to be tried and tested!

Although this bread is traditionally baked in a square/rectangular pan, I decided to go free-form and make it into a round flat bread. I didn’t have the heart to make the bread with 100 % white plain (all-purpose) flour, so made it with half plain and half wholemeal (wholewheat). I like to eat cheese with flavor, so I used a Kerrygold vintage Cheddar. I also reduced the amount of cheese by 25%, because it looked like _A_LOT_ of cheese. The trick is to make sure that the cheese is all melted and the onions are cooked right through. To avoid any rawness of the onions, make sure you slice them as thin as possible, mine were close to or less than 1 mm (1/32 inch) thick.

The smells emanating from the oven when this baby was baking was fabulous. When the bread was baked, J commented said “the ones I’m used to are rectangular, not round, but I’m sure it tastes good”.  He was right; it did taste good, pretty darn good.  The bread was about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick and soft, yet chewy with the topping that complemented everything really well.

Be warned: This bread is ultra-moreish (addicting), and one slice is not enough! We finished the whole thing at lunch, just the two of us!

DUTCH CHEESE AND ONION BREAD (KAAS-UIENBROOD)

Makes 1 x 23 cm (9 inch) round flat bread

Adapted from The Dutch Table – Kaas – Uienbrood

Ingredients

For the bread

• ½ tablespoon dried active baking yeast
• 240 ml (1 c milk)
• 375 g (2 ½ c) plain (all-purpose) flour*
• 1 pinch salt

For the topping

• 1 small sweet onion (about 100 g, 3.5 oz) finely sliced
• 150 g (1 ½ c) grated cheese**
• freshly ground black pepper
• smoked paprika for serving (optional)

* can be substituted for half plain (all-purpose) and wholemeal (wholewheat) flour

** for a stronger flavor use a mature cheese, such a vintage/aged Cheddar

Method

1. In a stand mixer, mix together the milk and yeast, then stir in the salt.

2. Add the flour, and with the dough hook attachment, mix until the dough comes together. You may need to add a splash of water to get the dough to come together, depending on the age of your flour.

3. Once the dough has come together, knead using the dough hook for 10 minutes on medium speed. The resulting dough should be soft, elastic and lightly tacky, but not sticky.

4. Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and allow to prove until 2/3 its original size, around 1 hour. Alternatively place the bowl into the refrigerator for an overnight cold prove. If doing a cold prove, remember to take the dough out of the refrigerator 1 hour before proceeding to the next step.

5. Punch the dough down and roll into a 24 cm (9 inch) or slightly bigger circle directly onto a piece of parchment paper.

6.  Transfer the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a baking tray (sheet/pan) and let prove for 30 minutes.

7. Meanwhile preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

8. Scatter onions and cheese evenly over the surface of the dough, season with black pepper, and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.

9. To get a browner/golden finish, grill (broil) the bread for about 2-3 minutes under high heat.

10. Transfer the bread and parchment onto a wire rack and let sit for 5 minutes. This step is important: the cheese needs to congeal a little before slicing, otherwise it will slide off the bread when you slice.

11. Slice into squares, dust with smoked paprika if using, and serve warm. Enjoy!

These muffins were intended to be flavored with banana and walnuts… only I didn’t have any walnuts, so made do with the hazelnuts in my pantry. The recipe was created to use up the bananas in my freezer, and to free up some space in preparation for Christmas/New Year.

The results were awesome! These muffins easy to make, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan-friendly, fluffy, banana-ry, nutty and ~165 calories each! Enjoy them in packed lunches, or with a cup of tea or coffee. To add an extra indulgence, why not throw in a handful of vegan-friendly dark chocolate chips?

BANANA AND HAZELNUT MUFFINS – GLUTEN-FREE & VEGAN

Makes 14

Ingredients

• 135 g (1 ½ c) brown rice flour
• 120 g (¾ c) chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 175 g (6.2 oz, about 2 small) ripe banana flesh
• 180 ml (¾ c) water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 240 ml (1 c) maple syrup
• 60 g (½ c) roughly chopped hazelnuts (or other nuts of your choice)
• 1 ½ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).

2. In the jug (pitcher) of a liquidizer (blender), blend together the brown rice flour, chickpea flour, salt, oil, bananas, water, vanilla extract, maple syrup until evenly combined.

3. Add the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), blitz for a few seconds, then stir in the nuts. Divide equally into greased or case lined muffin tins (pans).

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning the tin (pan) halfway through cooking to ensure even baking. The muffins are done when they are golden and firm to the touch or a skewer inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before devouring, enjoy!

Winter is slowly creeping up on us. The long, cold, dark and wet nights are drawing closer. I think it’s time to make a hearty soup that is wholesome, delicious and vegetarian. This warming soup will be welcomed by anybody and everybody. It’s thick, creamy, lightly spiced and truly scrumptious. It’s best served with crusty bread.

Calling this soup a pumpkin soup is a little cheeky, because I used a winter squash. But I won’t tell anyone, if you don’t. I wanted to use kabocha, but when I got to PCC, but the harvest hasn’t been very good this year. I then reached for a winter squash I never purchased before – red kuri. It looks like a kabocha, only it’s bright orange in color, and the flesh is slightly sweeter. I favor kabocha and kuri red because the skin really doesn’t need to be removed when cooking, it’s edible, which basically means less waste. If you really want to use pumpkin, feel free, but I’m sure most of the winter squash will work well in this soup.

CURRY-SPICED PUMPKIN, CHICKPEA & SPINACH SOUP

Makes 4-6 bowls

Inspired by “Pumpkin, Chickpea and Spinach Soup” in “Caribbean Food Made Easy with Levi Roots”

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion, cut into chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, gently crushed with the blade of a knife
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) pumpkin/squash flesh, chopped into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks or smaller
• 1 – 410 g (14.4 oz) tin chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons garam masala powder*, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 litre (4 cups) water or vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 170 g (6 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves
• chili flakes to garnish (optional)

* or your favorite curry powder

Method

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan until hot, then sauté onions, garlic and ginger until aromatic.

2. Stir in garam marsala and cumin, and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

3. Add pumpkin/squash, chickpeas and stock.

4. Bring to the boil, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until pumpkin/squash is tender. Remove from heat.

5. Using a hand (immersion) blender and blitz until smooth, or leave a little chunky. If the soup is too thick, thin down with a little more water/stock. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Toss in spinach leaves and stir until wilted. Spoon into bowls, garnish with chili flakes and enjoy!

It’s funny how we often crave the foods we enjoyed when we were children. This recipe is based on a dish my mother used to make, and still makes. Thinly sliced, boneless, pork chops are marinated in a mixture of Marsala wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and spring onions.

The combination of soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and spring onions bring out the Chinese-influence on this dish. Although my mother used to use Sherry or brandy, as opposed to Marsala, I had to make do with what was in our booze cabinet. This is a great dish if you love ginger. However, if you don’t eat pork, don’t fret; the dish can also be made with chicken breast.

PORK CHOPS WITH GINGER AND SPRING ONIONS

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• 350 g (¾ lb) thinly sliced boneless pork chops
• 50 ml (3 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon) Marsala/Sherry or brandy
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 – 7.5 cm (3 inch) piece of ginger, skin removed and finely
  chopped
• 3 spring onions (scallions or green onions), cut into 2.5 cm (1  inch) pieces
• 1 pinch of ground white pepper
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 1 teaspoon groundnut (peanut) oil, for frying

Method

1. Lay pork in to a largish dish so they are in a single layer.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the Marsala, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, spring onions, pepper and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).

3. Pour marinade over the pork, using a spoon to coat all of the meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours (24 hours is preferable).

4. Heat a non-stick pan with oil until very hot.

5. Transfer pork, but not the marinade into the hot pan. Sear the meat on one side, before turning it over to sear the other side.

6. Once both sides are seared, pour in the marinade. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through.

7. Serve with juices from the pan. Enjoy!

Here’s a not-so-familiar ice cream flavor to tantalize your taste buds: grapefruit.  You never see this flavor when made with dairy. I’m assuming the tartness of the grapefruit would split the cream/custard base. Anyhoo, being of vegan and dairy-free variety, we don’t have that problem. The resulting ice cream is refreshing, creamy and bitterly like grapefruit. It’s a wonderful change from the overly sweet grapefruit sorbets that you may find in shops.

GRAPEFRUIT ICE CREAM – VEGAN

Makes just under 1 litre (1 quart)

Adapted from “The Vegan Scoop”, by Wheeler del Torro

Ingredients

• 240 ml (1 c) soy milk*, divided
• 16 g (2 tablespoons) arrowroot powder
• 480 ml (2 c) soy creamer**
• 240 ml (1 c) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated grapefruit zest
• 150 g (¾ c) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

* If you choose not to have soy in your diet, you can easily use nut/rice or other milk alternatives. MimicCreme is also a great substitute for the creamer.

** In the US, most soy creamers come in 1 US pint (473 ml) cartons, just use this; you do not need to compensate with more soy milk. If you can’t find soy creamer, use 100 % soy milk/other alternative.

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix together 60 ml (¼ c) soy milk and arrowroot, set aside.

2. Pour the remaining soy milk, creamer, juice, zest, sugar, vanilla and salt into a saucepan.

3. Slowly bring the mixture to the boil, and then stir in the soy milk/arrowroot mixture. Continue to gently heat and stir the mixture until thickened.

4. Place mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until well chilled.

5. Once chilled, churn/freeze the chilled vanilla mixture in an ice cream maker^, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic/glass container with lid and freeze overnight.

6. To enjoy, simply remove the ice cream from the freezer 10 minutes before scooping and enjoying.

^ If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into a durable container and freeze for 45 minutes. Remove from the freezer and stir it vigorously with a fork, whisk or hand (stick) blender. Make sure that you beat it up well, breaking up all frozen sections. Return the mixture to the freezer. Repeat this procedure every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously until the mixture is evenly frozen. This procedure will take about 3 hours.

As you may have noticed, I’ve been quite engrossed in making ice creams over the last couple of months. Since summer has abruptly ended, and Autumn (Fall) is now here, this has to stop!

The change in season fills me with a little sadness, but also with a little joy. Sadness because the long, warm summer days will turn into long cold, dark and rainy nights, and the abundance of wonderful summer produce is now all but gone. Joy because the autumn brings the most beautiful colors in the Pacific Northwest, the trees are tinged with reds, auburns and yellows; autumn and winter produce is here, including squash and chestnuts, and it’s the season full of spice, hearty soups and stews.

That aside, I still have a couple of ice cream recipes that I’d like to share with you today. One flavor being vanilla, and the other flavor being grapefruit. Yes, you read it right, grapefruit ice cream. I may in the next couple of weeks, try out two of my last ice creams for this year – pumpkin spice and coffee. Keep your eyes peeled.

If someone told me that I could only choose one flavor of ice cream for the rest of my life, it would have to be vanilla. It’s simple, creamy, fragrant, and not overly complex. It goes well with just about everything: on a spoon, on top of brownies; with apple pie or other tarts, in smoothies, ice cream floats, baked Alaska etc. However, there is one proviso; it has to be the highest quality vanilla ice cream.

This vegan version is fantastic. It’s creamy, vanilla-ry and truly delicious. For the best flavor, use two plump, organic vanilla pods. They really aren’t that expensive, considering the flavor and quality you get. One organic pod from PCC was around $1.35. When you’ve finished with the vanilla pod, wash it, and let it dry on a piece of kitchen towel (paper). You can then blitz it together with cane sugar and sieve into a jar, creating delicious vanilla sugar.

REAL VANILLA ICE CREAM – VEGAN

Makes just under 1 litre (1 quart)

Adapted from “The Vegan Scoop”, by Wheeler del Torro

Ingredients

• 240 ml (1 c) soy milk*, divided
• 16 g (2 tablespoons) arrowroot powder
• 2 plump vanilla pods, seeds scraped and pods saved, or 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract
• 480 ml (2 c) soy creamer**
• 300 g (1 ½ c) raw cane (turbinado) sugar
• 1 pinch salt

* If you choose not to have soy in your diet, you can easily use nut/rice or other milk alternatives. MimicCreme is also a great substitute for the creamer.

** In the US, most soy creamers come in 1 US pint (473 ml) cartons, just use this; you do not need to compensate with more soy milk. If you can’t find soy creamer, use 100 % soy milk/other alternative.

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix together 60 ml (¼ c) soy milk and arrowroot, set aside.

2. Pour the remaining soy milk, creamer, vanilla pod seeds, vanilla pods, sugar and salt into a saucepan.

3. Slowly bring the mixture to the boil, and then stir in the soy milk/arrowroot mixture. Continue to gently heat and stir the mixture until thickened.

4. Place mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until well chilled.

5. Once chilled, remove vanilla pods, wash and dry for later use. Churn/freeze the chilled vanilla mixture in an ice cream maker^, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic/glass container with lid and freeze overnight.

6. To enjoy, simply remove the ice cream from the freezer 10 minutes before scooping and enjoying.

^ If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the chilled mixture into a durable container and freeze for 45 minutes. Remove from the freezer and stir it vigorously with a fork, whisk or hand (stick) blender. Make sure that you beat it up well, breaking up all frozen sections. Return the mixture to the freezer. Repeat this procedure every 30 minutes, stirring vigorously until the mixture is evenly frozen. This procedure will take about 3 hours.

I got introduced to cottage pie through school dinners, or more correctly, school lunches. Being from the north of England, I don’t really recall the word “lunch” being used. You’d have dinner (i.e. meal around noon, or otherwise known as lunch), tea (i.e meal in the evening, or otherwise known as dinner) and sometimes supper. Anyhow… school dinners were the warm meal you’d get around noon at schools, and were typically disgusting. The only redeeming feature of school dinners were the puddings (desserts), which usually consisted of steamed sponge and custard, cornflake/treacle tarts, ice cream, rice pudding etc.

As an adult and now a food snob, it now feels me with dread to wonder what the ingredients of those meals consisted of. With all the tainted beef and other meats going on around in that era, it is probably why I cannot donate blood within the US.  Ok, rant aside. Cottage pie is too often mislabeled as shepherd’s pie. Despite what you read out there, cottage pie should be made out of beef and shepherd’s pie made out of lamb. I think the term “shepherd” kinda gives it away!!

After my wonderful experience with cottage pie as a child, I went on to buy ready-made cottage pies from the shops. It was deemed a treat, as we always ate traditional Chinese food at home. I then went on further to make my own cottage pie, but using instant mashed potatoes and instant gravy mix. Oh gawd… just typing this is making me cringe!!!!

In today’s version of cottage pie, everything is made from scratch. There is no instant mash or gravy mix to be seen. The bottom of the pie is meaty, juicy and succulent, whilst the top consists of a creamy mash made with potatoes and parsnips. It’s a fantastic meal in one dish! I even splat it on the plate just like a “dinner”-lady, haa!

EVERYTHING-FROM-SCRATCH COTTAGE PIE

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

For the mash

• 400 g (14 oz) potatoes, skin left on, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks
• 600 g (1 ⅓ lb) or parsnips, skin left on, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) chunks
• 200 ml (¾ c and 4 teaspoons) milk/milk alternative
• 10 g (2 teaspoons) unsalted butter/buttery spread
• salt and pepper to taste

For the beef and gravy

• 1 teaspoon groundnut (peanut) or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 225 g (½ lb or 8 oz) lean minced (ground) beef
• 30 g (3 ¼ tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
• warm water, as needed
• 6 g (¾ teaspoons) “Better than Bouillon”* chicken/vegetable stock base, or stock cube, to taste
• 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 125 g (4.4 oz) frozen peas
• 200 g (7 oz, or 2 small) carrots, finely diced
• salt and pepper to taste

* Better than bouillon is a concentrated paste, which you add water to, to make a stock. If this is not available, use stock cubes or ready-made stock instead of water in step 6.

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.

2. Add the potatoes and parsnips. Return to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the potatoes and parsnips are tender.

3. Drain off the water, then mash the potatoes and parsnips until smooth. Blend in the milk and butter and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Once hot, fry the onions and garlic until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the beef. Stir until evenly browned, season with salt and pepper, then add the flour and stir.

6. Add a splash of warm water and stir. The mixture should thicken considerably on heating. Continue to add more water until the correct consistency is reached. The gravy should be thick, but not too thick.

7. Add the stock paste and soy sauce. Stir well to evenly distribute.

8. Add the frozen peas and carrots and simmer for 35 minutes.

9. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

10. Check the beef and gravy for seasoning, and thin if required with additional water/ready made stock. Pour mixture in to a 25 x 20 cm (10 x 8 inch) or similar sized deep baking dish. Use the back of a spatula or spoon to even out the mixture.

11. Spoon dollops of the mash over the beef and gravy, and then spread gently to even  out the top layer. Use the prongs of a fork to fluff up the surface of the mash to make grooves^. This will make the mash look pretty once it’s grilled (broiled).

12. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until piping hot, then grill (broil) over high heat until lightly browned on top. Scoop and
serve hot, enjoy!

^ The cottage pie can be made up to this point and kept in the refrigerator for 2 days. Once you’re ready to bake, remove from the fridge, and sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before continuing with step 12.