Food from Friends...

On Sunday...which was a beautiful day...my parents came for lunch. We normally all meet at their beautiful farm, so this was a rare occurrence! I decided to cook two recipes that friends had given me. I don't usually do this for some reason...I trawl through my hundreds of cookbooks until I find the perfect dish for the occasion. But I really wanted to use these ideas, as I knew that my Dad in particular would love them. He has a very dear aunt (now in her 90's but spry and active as a little bird) who is Portuguese...and he cherishes the memories of the meals she has cooked for him. So when my lovely friend Rosinda - who is also Portuguese - posted the recipe for Caldeirada (Fish Stew) on her beautiful blog With Love from the Kitchen XO I knew that it had to be cooked for him!

Rosinda has posted the full recipe...so I won't do that here. But it's a very simple yet delicious meal...layers of red pepper, onion, garlic, tomato, paprika...

potatoes...

white wine, fresh coriander, olive oil..

and finally fish (I used haddock as it was fresh and good from the market) Rosinda also adds seafood..and Dad would have loved that too, but unfortunately Mum doesn't really like it, so I stuck to the white fish. It looked absolutely delicious...and Dad posed for this quick picture before he couldn't resist tucking in!

I didn't know what to serve with it...I'd made some bread in the morning (warm spelt & white rolls) but wanted an interesting salad. And then a gorgeous one that my other darling friend, Susan Branch, had posted a few days ago on her blog (isn't the internet wonderful??) popped into my head. Her original was a White Bean Salad...but as I had some dried chickpeas that were nearing the end of their shelf life, I soaked and used them instead!

Red onion, sage, tiny cauliflower florets (blanched), garlic, flat parsley,...I added fragrant tomatoes too. It was the perfect side dish.

Gooseberry & Greengage Crumble with creme fraiche followed, before we all went into the garden to soak up the last of the sun and chat...a wonderful Sunday afternoon!

Also baked during the last week for The Coffee Tree...

Fresh Raspberry & Redcurrant Bars...

Yum!

Carrot Cake...this was on a chilly day, one when I wanted to give them something spiced and warming...

Bluberry Almond Cake...

I love the way blueberries burst when baked...spilling their beautiful purple juice into the cake...

This was originally a bundt cake...but the Coffee Tree customers seem to prefer a 'whole' slice! So it's Vanilla Cake with a maple walnut streusel filling baked through the middle and a maple glaze...mmmm
and finally, on Saturday morning, some 'healthy' muffins! there wasn't actually much sugar in these...the sweetness came from the earl grey tea-soaked prunes, which went beautifully with the rye flakes, the pumpkin seeds, the orange zest...

I kept one back...and I can report that it was perfect with a cup of steaming black coffee and the Saturday papers!
I hope your week has been good so far...I'm just home from the Farmer's Market again...time for a rest and a drink of something lovely!
xoxo

Mmmmmonday!

I often experiment with different brownie flavours...I try and devise a new one each month for the Farmer's Market to keep things interesting! This was my latest creation...Caramel Popcorn Brownies.  They sold very well...the popcorn is in the mixture as well as on top. One thing I found while playing with the recipe was that it works best to sprinkle the popcorn that decorates the top of the brownie after it comes out of the oven, but while the cake is still hot. This prevents the caramel from scorching...and the warmth of the chocolate means that the popcorn sticks beautifully to the top too...

So, that's one that will be repeated sometime...
Other delights this week included...

Double Almond Tarts...

Fresh Raspberry Shortcakes...the filling was a vanilla mascarpone one...I delivered these in the wind & rain of Saturday morning. They reminded everyone that it is, in fact, Summer!

Also, some old fashioned favourites. My little sister, Lucy, always used to request a Marble Cake for her birthday. I haven't made one for ages...making this one made me wonder why!

It was, as you see, chocolate & vanilla....so pretty...

I filled it with vanilla buttercream...

with more for the top and crumbled milk chocolate flake to decorate. Delish!
The other 'retro' cake I made was really popular about 150 years ago....but rarely seen today. Seed Cake was usually eaten mid morning, with a glass of sherry or madeira wine. In fact, if you visit St John restaurant in London, it still is! The few times I've eaten this cake, I've loved it. So I thought that it was a good time to resurrect it for The Coffee Tree. Mine had a lemon glaze...

and it turned out so beautifully that I thought I should share the recipe with you. It's adapted from the Three-Seed Cake in Sarabeth Levine's beautiful bakery book - so it has US measurements..

Old-Fashioned Caraway Seed Cake

Grease & line a 10" round tin with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350f/170c

3 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
2 tsp caraway seeds                       } stir together in a bowl and set aside
1 tbsp baking powder

10 tbsp/1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups superfine (caster) sugar            } Beat at high speed in a stand mixer until light & fluffy in texture
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Separate 4 large, room temperature eggs. Beat the yolks into the butter/sugar mixture one by one, beating well after each addition.

Reducing mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg yolks in thirds, alternating additions with 1 cup whole milk. Scrape down bowl to make sure all is fully incorporated.

In a large, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form (I use a hand held electric whisk for this) and fold into the cake mixture using a large metal spoon. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake approx 1 hour until top springs back. I also insert a thin metal skewer into the centre of the cake - if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked! Turn cake out onto a wire cooling rack and invert so that it's the right way up.

For the glaze (best poured on while the cake is still warm/hot as it sets better): combine 2 cups confectioners (icing) sugar in a small bowl with 3 tbsps fresh lemon juice and stir until smooth. Pour over cake and, with a knife, gently smooth over the top...a little dripping down the sides looks beautiful too!

Leave until completely cold, transfer to a plate and EAT!! It keeps  really well for 3/4 days in an airtight tin or container.

Have a wonderful Monday! xx

The shared table...

One of the best things about food is the joy in sharing it with others. The conviviality of the shared table is a life enhancing experience....

Last weekend was three days of such meals...and it was bliss! You can read about the weekend, where we stayed, and how it came about by clicking here . But the real reason that we were all together, was because of the friendships that have grown through our shared passion for good food and our desire to communicate that love through writing.

As you can imagine...we ate well from the beginning!

A trip to the local Farmer's Market on Saturday morning meant that we were well stocked with fruit, vegetables and wonderful meat...

cubed vegetables, sprinkled with fresh rosemary and olive oil....ready to be roasted...

when they were transformed into an earthy, sweet dish of deliciousness...

Belly of pork was soaked in spiced brine for 3 hours to produce the softest, most delectable meat most had ever eaten...

with the crispest crackling that needed a good, heavy knife to cut through it...and plenty of elbow grease!

also on the platter was locally reared rose veal and roasted lamb...
As usual, the kitchen was the heart of the building...everyone wanted to be involved....watching, helping, clearing, tasting..

and the sun went down....the corks were popped and the candles lit...

silence for a while as the meal was enjoyed...before the laughter began again and the joy of being together in this place, at this time, overwhelmed each one of us...

Of course, we probably ate too much - but it was only for a few magical days. I never usually eat breakfast...but somehow, when everyone else is enjoying coffee, crisp bacon and orange-yolked eggs, a warm and jam-filled muffin seemed a good idea!

And afternoon tea really wasn't necessary...but a divine apple olive oil cake, resplendent with maple frosting, plus glittery chocolate cake and rosemary scented apricot squares soon persuaded me that it was the right thing to do....!

On the last night, we needed to use up the fresh produce....so a quick green vegetable pasta was whipped up, sharpened with lemon juice and complemented perfectly by a crunchy, tasty and absolutely delicious chargrilled carrot & broccoli salad made by the talented Marta (her blog is amazing too...Muscovado Cafe )

It would be difficult to name my favourite dish of the weekend. But one of them was definitely this...

It may look bizarre, but I can tell you truthfully that tapioca cooked with palm sugar & a touch of pomegranate molasses is one of those taste experiences that I shall treasure forever in my foodie memory bank! Inspired.

I had such a wonderful time....in my element with like-minded people and surrounded by gorgeous ingredients and dishes.

I wish you could have joined us!  Eat well this weekend....xoxo

July? Already?!

It's been longer than I would have liked since my last post. This is such a busy time of year...Charlie's season is in full swing (he's the renowned Coffeeman, who takes my brownies & other things with him to all the major equestrian eventing competitions on his mobile coffee trailer...) and keeping him supplied is a full time job on it's own! Plus there have been many other unexpected occasions and requests. One of these was from a neighbour & friend...she celebrates her 80th birthday this year and her husband his 90th. They decided to have a big family party last weekend and she asked whether I would cook the food for the buffet...plus the cake, of course! I was happy to agree, although 40 people is quite a lot from my home kitchen. I worked through the night before to get everything ready...2 whole poached Scottish salmon with lemon/dill mayonnaise...a huge bowl of Coronation Chicken...2 big Salade Nicoise'...Greek Salad...new potatoes...crudite platters....plus desserts which you can (sort of) see on the table above! Joan was very certain that she wanted a chocolate fountain on the dessert table - I managed to borrow one from a friend - and I must say that it did make a lovely focal point...

I also wanted something interesting for the vegetarian guests that would be easy to eat, and would appeal to the carnivores too! My mum used to make pissaladiere from an Elizabeth David recipe and I found it again. It's really just a big, rectangular South-of-France version of pizza..and absolutely delicious. I made a rosemary garlic yeasted base and topped it with caramelised red onions, red & yellow sweet peppers, courgettes, lots of herb, capers and tiny black nicoise olives...

It also traditionally has anchovies arranged in a criss-cross pattern...but as this would stop it being vegetarian, and as so many people absolutely hate these strong & salty little fish (which I adore!) I placed a bowl of them on the table for guests to add if they wished (to the Salade Nicoise too...)

Paul helped me to deliver and arrange everything and we left them all to it....but I have heard that the party and food went beautifully and - most importantly - Joan & Bill were very happy with everything and enjoyed their joint birthday party so much...I was so pleased to be a part of it!
Of course, there has still been The Coffee Tree to supply...and I had the Farmer's Market last Tuesday too (you can maybe see why posting has been difficult!) Some recent deliveries:

Banana Pecan Bread...

Summer Lemon Cake - which I made up but is a lemon sponge, drizzled with sharp lemon syrup and glazed with home made lemon curd before I went a bit mad with the decoration and ....

added lemon buttercream and edible glitter too! It's my Hollywood side...!

Lastly, my absolute bar none favourite cake.....Salted Caramel Chocolate...

even the name sets my mouth watering!

I worked all day yesterday baking lots of trays of brownies for the week ahead...so today, a bit of a rest. But I am just about to bake a Rhubarb Crumble Cake for the Coffee Tree tomorrow, and a tray of caramel Popcorn Brownies for another neighbour who tried them at the Farmer's market last week and was impressed!

So I'm never far from the oven...

with love to you and wishing my American friends a wonderful July 4th celebration tomorrow (even though you're celebrating your independence from US!!) Happy day xoxo