Peach Chutney

This is my version of peach chutney as of last Saturday!
Peel & dice a good dozen golden peaches & 2 apples ( I was given some cooking apples)
juice of 2 lemons
Add a rounded cup of organic raw sugar
2 tsps of good salt
2 cups of raisins..I used some golden raisins & some mixed giant ones
1 dsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garam marsala
1 glove or two if garlic, chopped & a finely chopped fresh chilli. (I like to use Jalapenos)
garlic & chilli are optional of course
I also added a piece of finely grated tumeric..gives a gorgeous colour & depth of flavour.
When fresh tumeric is unavailable I use a peeled frozen version that is always in stock at the Asian shop in Queen Street here in Hastings. Powdered tumeric is ok but gives an entirely different result.

 Simmer fruit altogether for an hour or so until thickened a lovely rich colour.
Check the seasoning & adjust to your own taste. I have not used any vinegar at all in this batch & the flavour is so much more rounded & delicious.

 Pour in to clean, hot, sterilized jars. Seal when cold.

 Delicious!

Peach Chutney ll

A dozen or so peaches &

2 or 3 tart apples peeled & diced

1 red jalapeno chilli finely chopped

2 cups of golden raisins

juice of 2 lemons

1 tbsp yellow mustard seed

1 dsp grated fresh/frozen tumeric

1 cup organic raw sugar

1 dsp good salt

simmer gently for about an hour until thickened

pour in to jars as above

This is quite delicious & very different.

Turkish Orange Cake

 I just adore this cake. It is wonderfully easy to make, very moist & so full of flavour.
I made it yesterday for my birthday (it's all gone!)
Ingredients:
* 2 large oranges (or an orange & a lemon)
* 6 eggs
* 1 cup castor or raw sugar
* 2 tbsps lemon juice
* 3 cups ground almonds
* 1 tsp baking powder

Simmer 1 large orange & 1 large lemon in water for about an hour with the lid on, then tip away the water & leave to cool for several hours or overnight (you can use two oranges if you'd rather but I particularly like this combination)

Put 1 cup organic raw sugar in to the food process & blend for 60 secs to make it castor sugar.
Add the chopped citrus (remove any pips before adding) process until finely pulverized.
Add 6 eggs & 2 tbsps of lemon juice, process for about a minute, until thick & fairly smooth.
Add 3 cups of ground almonds & 1 tsp of baking powder & pulse to just mix.
Pour in to a well greased & lined 23cm cake tin.
Bake at 150 degrees C for 60 mins or until golden & a skewer comes out clean.
Stand in the tin for 10 mins before turning out & cooling on a wire rack.
When cool serve with cream, Greek yoghurt or this mixture:
250ml whipped cream, 1/2 kg thick Greek yoghurt, 1 tbsp runny honey & 2 large tbsps of orange marmalade.
 Fold together & chill.

And another time

Delicious!

Catherine

Roasting Coffee

There is nothing in all the world like freshly home-roasted coffee. There is also no way to describe the smell involved in roasting coffee unless you have been involved in the process before. It is not that wonderful coffee smell you think it will be. That comes later. Roasting coffee beans produces pungent "burnt toast" fumes best confined to the garage or other out- house...definitely not for the regular urban kitchen setting. 

Otherwise know as the "C lab": 

Simple process really, refined from information found via ineedcoffee.com. Begin with a good supply of green coffee beans, like these:

I use a popcorn maker and heat them til they look like this.

Quite a lot of husk will come off the beans as they heat up.

While they are still warm, pan roast the beans over high heat, keeping the lid on most of the time, shaking around frequently & spraying with a fine mist of water from time to time so that the beans don't become too dry.

 (this photo was taken before my 'C' lab was exiled to the garage)

Here are the 3 stages.

Roast til they look like this.

 Nice!

Now it starts to smell good. Just like coffee should!

Cool and store in a fabulous coffee jar for 24 hours before making the first brew.

Grind fairly finely.
Expresso style!

Cheers Rob

Quark Stollen for Christmas ♛

This is a wonderfully easy way to make stollen without yeast, yet it is still utterly delicious & keeps very well.

Soften 125g chopped butter
Add 350 g quark- a smooth, low fat soft white cheese. Ricotta would be a good substitute.
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
Freshly grated nutmeg
Beat together till smooth
Add 2 eggs
Zest of an orange or lemon
then, 500g mixed fruit...or any combination of dried fruit, peel, almonds etc that takes your fancy
3 cups flour & 3 tsps baking powder. Or- 1 cup ground almonds, 1 cup coconut flour & 1 cup of spelt flour (or whatever you like to use) & the baking powder.
Mix it all in to a softish dough & using wet hands shape in to oblongs on a greased baking tray (or line with baking paper)

 Bake for 55- 60 mins at 180 degrees C & when partly cooled brush with a little melted butter & drench with icing sugar.

It's soo easy to make some smaller ones to give away out of this recipe too which is nice : )

If you'd like to have a go at making stollen using yeast then pop in here to David Lebovitz living the sweet life in Paris.

  much

for a wonderful Christmas ♥

Apricot & Honey Balls

These are so quick & easy to make, full of flavour & really healthy too!
Soak 2 cups of dried apricots in 1/2 c of orange juice for at least a couple of hours or overnight until the fruit has plumped up & the liquid has been absorbed. I have used 1/2 c of organic dried mango in this batch.
Tip in to a food processor & add 1/2 to 1 cup of ground almonds
1/2 cup of nice honey & a dsp of rosewater
pulse until it all comes together in to a ball

make in to balls with wet hands, 

rolling in coconut as you go

in warmer weather keep in the fridge

they are not too rich or sweet & have a lovely tang to them

 Feel free to adjust the recipe to suit your own taste.

Caramel Square

Caramel Square is a perennial family favourite so here it is so that we know where to find the recipe : )

Cream 300 grams of butter with a cup of brown sugar

add 1 tsp vanilla essence

mix in 3 cups of flour (1/2 wholemeal eg. zentrofen 5 grain is good)

Press half in to a decent size greased tin.

Caramel: melt 150g butter with 6 tbsps golden syrup & 2 tins of sweetened condensed milk

stir over low heat until melted & well combined

spread over the base

I know this is not in focus..I'll take another photo NEXT time I make this ; )

 Add 1 cup of walnuts to the remaining mixture & crumble over the caramel.

 Press down lightly.

 Bake for 30 mins at 180 degrees C

 Cut when cold.

Hide it..well, ok not from yourself!

Christmas Fruit Mince

Having come across a couple of recipes for fruit mince recently I thought that I'd have go at making some and have come to the conclusion that it is the most versatile & delicious recipe of the season.
I am a give-me-the-recipe, show-me-the-lovely-pictures, then-make-it-up-as-you-go-along sort of girl. I have had to do a wee bit of research on this one as fruit mince has never really made much sense to me apart from being delicious & usually hidden in wee pies. It really does carry quite an aura of mystique about it & harbours just a suspicion of trickiness pfff....if you can chop stuff you can make fruit mince...& who said that it had to be minced anyway!!???
It's a pretty medieval concoction (literally) & was banned at one stage before making a comeback in smaller pie form. The traditional lard ie beef fat was probably originally added as a preservative as was the spice & the plonk, however, all that is really required is a quantity of dried fruits to taste & budget & availability.

I have used lots of apricots, prunes, golden sultanas & sticky raisins in this particular mix.
Dried currants, ginger, dried pear, figs, dates, cranberries, razz cherries etc are also possibilities.
I chose to slice the fruit in to slivers rather than dice it but feel free to make it up as you go along.
Add a tsp of really good ground cinnamon.
Lots of orange & lemon zest & juice..probably at least 3 oranges.
1/2 cup of brown sugar or runny honey. ( My favourite honey of all is rewa rewa.)
1/2 cup of brandy.
And 2 grated apples..wash, don't need to peel.
I have deliberately left out the suet, butter, mixed spice & artificial vanilla essence..ahh, much better!

Mix all together, cover & let it sit for 24 hours. Now, have a little taste & tell me that it'll make it to Christmas! You could seal it in jars but that would be silly really. It'll keep fine in a bowl or jar in the fridge.

This mix is superb with Greek yoghurt.

The Pear & Ginger version...very yummy!! 

diced dried pear ( I found this at Chantal recently)

+ equal quantity of golden raisins roughly chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
juice of 3 or 4 oranges
2 tbsp runny honey
an apple & a pear, grated

plus a good slosh of plonk (optional of course)
 up to you..I had some homemade limoncello lurking
 in a cupboard

as before: leave to "soak" for 24 hours

This wonderfully succulent mix can now be used

 in all kinds of ways.

Try adding 1/2 fruit mix 1/2 thick Greek yoghurt

 & another spoonful of honey.

 Chill, or partially freeze & serve on it's own

 or with strawberries...a perfect combination

Or..gently mix fruit in to softened good quality vanilla icecream & refreeze.

Oh yes, of course, you could now use either mix to actually make Christmas mince pies!