Ploughman's Scones

A few days ago I didn't think it was possible to make a cheese scone taste any better then it did already.

And then . . .



I had a brainstorm.



What if you took a really good cheese scone recipe . . . one that produced light and flaky scones with really cheesy flavours . . .



and then filled them with some tasty chutney before baking??? Just so that the scones bake up light and fluffy, but with delicious chutney oooooozing out the sides . . .

No need to butter these. Just bring on the ham, thickly sliced . . .



and perhaps a pear or two,

Cheesy Scones with tangy chutney centres. I used a delicious Apple and Pear Windfall chutney that I got at Marks & Sparks.

Two words. Nom Nom! What a tasty way to end the month!



*Ploughman's Scones*
Makes about 9
Printable Recipe

Nom Nom!

8 1/2 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 TBS chilled butter, cut into bits
4 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese (1 cup)
2 heaped Tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan Cheese
Cayenne pepper to taste
250 ml of whole milk (1 cup)
a smooth chutney (I used Marks and Spencers Windfall chutney, containing apples and pears)

Preheat the oven top 205*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Lightly butter a baking tray. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in quickly with your fingertips until the mixture is mealy. Stir in the cheeses and the cayenne pepper. Add the milk and stir until the dough is soft, adding a touch more milk if necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surgace and knead a couple of times before patting out 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter.

Take a sharp knife and make a hole in the side of each biscuit, widening it with your index finger. Spoon in a half teaspoon or so of chutney and then place onto the prepared baking sheet. Reroll scraps and repeat, until all the dough it used up.

Bake in the upper third of the oven until well risen and golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. The chutney will leak out a bit, but that's ok. It only adds to their scrumminess! Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Michaelmas Dumplings

September 29th is a day in the Western Christian Calendar which celebrates the feast of St Michael the Archangel . . . you know who he is don't you? Why he is one of the principal angelic warriors, seen as a protector against the dark of night, and the administrator of cosmic intelligence.



He also smells like cookies . . . dances really well, and is umm . . . very sexy, well . . . at least to me anyways . . . I think it's the chin dimple. I have a thing for chin dimples.



In many areas it has been traditionally said that September 29th is your last chance to pick blackberries before the Devil can curse them, spit on them, or do something even worse!

The indigestible October crop of blackberries is spurned altogether and Michaelmas Dumplings make one final glorious feast of the plump purple beauties!!



No surprise that they are teamed with apple here, as apples and blackberries are a beautiful marriage of choice!



Here you get a lovely tart piece of apple that is wrapped in the heavenly fluff of a buttery dumpling and then simmered on a bed of sweet ripe blackberries . . .



Served warm, with lashings of cream or custard, or ice cream if you prefer, each spoonful is gorgeously delicious . . . the apple having melted into that fluffy dumpling interior and the blackberries forming a sweet purple sauce . . .



Oh my . . . this is one tradition that I quite happily uphold!

Happy Michaelmas!




*Michaelmas Dumplings*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Fluffy apple filled dumplings floating on a sea of thick purple blackberry goodness!

8 ounces of blackberries (half a pound)
1 medium sized apple, peeled, quartered and cored
healthy pinch of salt
100g of self raising flour (a generous cup)
25g of butter (1/8th cup)
granulated sugar
cold milk
300ml of water (1 1/4 cups)

Sift the flour and salt together into a bowl. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Stir in about 4 TBS of milk and mix together to a soft dough. Divide the dough into four and press each quarter into a flat circle on a floured board. Mould the circle of dough around a piece of apple, bringing it up the sides and over the top to cover it completely and sealing it totally shut. Repeat four times. Place the water in a medium sized pan. Add a heaped dessertspoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve and then bring to the boil. Add the blackberries, place the dumplings on top, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until the dumplings are nicely risen and fluffy. Serve warm with lashings of cream, custard or ice cream!

Malteaser Brownies

I get a big kick out of the Malteaser commercials on the telly. The idea is that eating Malteasers is really naughty, and so people keep inventing naughty ways and excuses to eat them . . .



Then there are the ones where eating them makes people do naughty things.





I think the funniest one is where these two girls take their sleeping boyfriends and wind their arms around each other so that it looks like they are snuggling together . . . of course it gets really funny when the two unsuspecting fellas wake up and see who they've been cuddling!!



Malteasers are the British Equivalent to North American Malted Milk Balls.



I just love them. I confess . . . when we get a pack of Revells, I weed through them to find all the malteasers so I can eat them all up before anyone else can . . . likewise the malteasers in the tin of Celebrations . . . and . . . yes, I do steal all the nutty ones in the Christmas box of chocolates too. I am a naughty greedy girl . . .



But I also do all the baking and cooking, so it's ok. From where I am sitting, the malteasers in a packet of revells are like the cook's treats, those choice little tender oysters of succulent meat situated on the bottom of a roast turkey or chicken! Us cooks deserve em! We earned em!!



This is what happens when you bake brownies with a bunch of malteasers layered in the centre.

You get Brownies . . . only better.



Fudgy brownies, all gooey and stickily chocolately . . . filled with these scrummy and crunchy little balls . . . malteasers balls,



Moreishly, Malteaserly, naughtily addictive! Seriously.



*Malteaser Brownies*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

The naughty snack.

7 ounces unsalted butter ( a scant cup)
100g of dark chocolate, miminum 60% cocoa solids, broken
up into pieces (3 1/2 ounces)
12 ounces soft light brown sugar (1 3/4 cup packed)
4 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g of self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
pinch of salt
10 1/4 ounce box of malteasers ( malted milk balls)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Brush a 9 inch square tin with butter and line with some parchment paper, allowing it to overhang the sides so that you can easily lift the brownies out when done.

Melt the butter along with the chocolate over very low heat. Once melted remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour together with the salt and stir into the chocolate mixture. Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the malteasers evenly over top, then cover with the remaining batter, making sure the chocolates are totally covered.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top of the brownies are glossy and set and the middle still a bit squidgy. Leave to cool in the pan before removing and cutting into squares..

Pork Cutlets with a Port and Cherry Pan Sauce

Pork is not something we eat a lot of in our house . . . It's not that we don't like it. We both really love it . . . it's just not something we have very often, and then, when we do have it, I find myself wondering why we don't have it more often than we do!! It's so very yummy!



When I was a child, we used to have pork chops about once a week. In the olden days, way back then, people used to think that you had to cook pork to death . . . so my mother's pork chops always closely resembled boomerangs . . . dry and hard, except that you didn't want them to come back! Sorry mom!



Mom would sometimes cook roast pork . . . but my dad only liked it served cold, so we never had hot roast pork for dinner . . . it was always a day old and cold . . . served thinly sliced with some mustard on the side.

I used to long for a hot roast pork dinner . . . with lots of gravy and mashed spuds, and perhaps some applesauce and stuffing. Oh and let's not forget the brussels sprouts and carrots!



We never ever had anything like pork tenderloin. I am not sure I even knew pork tenderloin existed when I was growing up!

Once I became an adult, however, and began cooking for myself, I made up for lost time with lots of hot roast pork dinners, tender pork chops and tasty pork tenderloin . . .



I love pork tenderloin, as long as it's cooked properly. It is like the filet steak of porkdom! Nice and tender and full of flavour . . .

Pork goes so very well with fruit. More often than not we have it with apples and cider . . . but occasionally you come across a little gem like this fantastic recipe that I found in Cooking Light. (Which also means it is low in fat and calories! Always a bonus!) I adapted it slightly, of course! The original didn't call for flouring the meat, but I felt that it would give it a lovely crispy crust.



I was right. This is fabulous! The meat nice and tender and moist, but with a rich outside crust, and that sauce . . . fruity, tangy and to die for! A most wonderful combination!



What's even better is that it goes together lickety split!! You can have it on the table quicker than you can say Jack Robin!!

This will have them licking their chops for sure! I would serve this to company!!



*Pork Cutlets with a Port and Cherry Pan Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Delicious pork tenderoin cutlets sauteed until golden brown and served with a scrumptious Port and Dried Cherry pan sauce.

250ml of ruby port (1 cup)
a generous handful of dried cherries
4 tsp seedless raspberry jam
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBS sunflower oil
1 1/2 pound piece of pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 dessert spoons of plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS butter

Whisk together the port, cherries, jam and mustard. Set aside to allow the cherries to macerate and plump up a bit.

Cut the pork tenderloin crosswise into 16 even pieces. Season well with some salt and black pepper. Dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess.

Heat the oil in a skillet until hot. Add the pork and cook approximately 4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside, keeping it warm.

Stir the wine mixture into the pan, scraping to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Allow to bubble up and reduce until about half the volume. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter. Divide the pork between heated dinner plates, spooning an equal amount of cherry sauce over each portion.

Apple and Plum Tart

As I write this, late on Saturday afternoon . . . the sun is shining in a perfectly blue sky. It is a bit chilly, but still a beautiful day all the same.



I have wash drying out on the line, all our bedding is blowing in the light breeze. It will smell some good tonight when we drag our tired bodies into bed



I have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir playing softly on the stereo and . . . a tired puppy lays sleeping next to me, having spent most of the day running around the garden in the sun. Oh she does love the sun . . . not so much the rain though, but then . . . who can blame her!




I also have this fabulous tart sitting on the counter!! ( ahem . . . minus one piece, I confess!)



I have been eye balling this tart recipe ever since I got the Popina Baking Book waaaay back last year. I've baked a few things from it and loved them, but the picture of this tart has been calling my name.



Finally today, all was in place and I was able to get it done. I had the ingredients . . . I had the time . . . and I was in the mood!



Oh my . . . it is some good. Of course, I have adapted it a bit . . . it is my curse you know . . . this never being able to leave well enough alone . . .



I'm rather a lazy sod really . . . and so I pressed the pastry into the tart tin instead of rolling it out. Know what? It worked perfectly and cut a lot of aggravation and time out of the recipe.



I didn't have the exact plums called for either, so used what I did have, which were big fat red plums . . .



The original recipe called for Bramley's and I did have them, but I thought two Bramleys was far too much apple, even one would have been too much as my bramleys are rather large, and so I used two granny smith's instead.



The result?

I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves . . .
This is one very, very good tart! The perfect tart for the perfect autumn day.

Lots of sunshine, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a tired and sleepy pup, breeze blown sheets and a delicious apple and plum tart. What more could you ask for?




*Apple and Plum Tart*
Makes one 12 inch tart
Printable Recipe

A beautiful tart filled with a sweet sponge and a fruity combination of sweet plums and tart apples.

for the sweet pastry:
250g of plain flour (2 cups)
125g of unsalted butter, chilled and cubed (1/2 cup)
85g of caster sugar (a scant 1/3 cup)
1 large free range egg

For the sponge:
45g of unsalted butter (1/3 cup)
90g caster sugar (1/3 cup)
1 large free range egg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
90g of plain flour (a scant 7/8 cup)

For the fruit:
4 large sweet plums, pitted and cut into quarters
1 large granny smith apple, cored and cut into slices

3 TBS apricot jam to glaze

First make the pastry. Place the flour, butter and sugar into a food processor and blitz until all crumbly. Add the beaten egg and blitz again until well combined. Press evenly into a 12 inch tart tin with a loose bottom.

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.

Cream together the butter and sugar for the sponge, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and baking powder. Fold in the flour. Spread this batter evenly into the prepared pastry shell. Scatter the fruit over top.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the heated oven. The sponge will have risen up around the fruit and the fruit will have sunk a little and be juicy. Remove from the oven. Heat the apricot jam over low heat and brush over top of the warm tart.

Serve warm or at room temperature with cream or custard.

Parsnip, Apple and Thyme Soup

Oh boy! Brrrrrr!!!! I know it's autumn, but if feels like winter out there today! Summer is officially over! I'm now hoping on an Indian Summer, please pretty please! ummm . . . with sugar on it??



Oh well . . . if nothing else, at least this changeable British weather gives us something to talk about at the bus stop . . . common ground to meet on, if you like.



This is real soup weather, and with this also being British Food Fortnight, I thought there would be no better soup to celebrate the versatility and deliciousness of autumnal British food, than this delightful marriage of parsnips, Bramley apples and thyme!



These flavours are oh so delicious together. Parsnips have a very distinctive flavour that is totally enhanced by the sweetness of apples, and there is no better cooking apple in the world than beautiful Bramleys!



Add to that a touch of heat and spice from some curry powder, and the herby touch of thyme, and you've got a creamy soup fit for the Gods!



With some buttery, crunchy croutons on top, this is just the thing to chase away the autumn chill! Parsnips, apples and thyme in a warming bowl of soup . . . you just can't get more British than that!



*Parsnip, Apple and Thyme Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Parsnip, apple and thyme, the holy trinity of soupdom! These three flavours marry quite happily!

1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp medium curry powder
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 large Bramley cooking apple, peeled and chopped
(If you can't get Bramley's use two large Granny Smith apples)
1 1/4 litre of chicken or vegetable stock (5 cups)
125ml of cream (1/2 cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olivecroutons and some fresh thyme leaves to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and curry powder. Cook and stir over medium low heat until the onion softens. Stir in the parsnips, apple and thyme sprig. Cook and stir to coat in the oil and spice. (You may need to add a bit more oil) Add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the apple and parsnip is quite soft. Puree until smooth with a stick blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and heat through. Serve hot, ladled into heated bowls. Top each serving with a drizzle of olive oil, some croutons and some thyme leaves.