view of little corner between barn and bread oven:
tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, beans and parsley:
grapes over the barn:
very green grapes!
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
This year's veggie garden in pictures!
pepper plants:
grapes over the barn:
very green grapes!
grapes over the barn:
very green grapes!
Blackberry Jam
We have heaps of blackberries in the garden at the moment. The ones we have are an early, thornless variety, so they're nice and easy to pick!
I popped out into the garden the other day and came back with 4lbs, so I decided to make some blackberry jelly, using a recipe from my mother's Cookery Year cookbook, but then I couldn't let the left-over cooked/drained fruit go to waste so I passed it through a mouli to get rid of the seeds and then turned it into jam.
Ingredients:
4lbs blackberries
1 pint water
juice of 2 lemons
sugar
First, simmer the blackberries with the water and lemon juice until tender (about 45 min). Then pour into a sieve lined with muslin and allow to drip for about an hour.
To make the jelly:
Collect the juice and allow 1lb of sugar for each 1lb of juice. Heat in a copper pan, and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. I use Nigella's tip and place a saucer in the freezer beforehand and then just test little blobs of jelly/jam to see if it crinkles when it cools. Then pour into clean, sterilised jars.
To make the jam:
Pass the remaining fruit left in the sieve through a mouli to get rid of the seeds. This will make a nice puree. Then weigh equal quantities of the fruit puree and sugar, and proceed as above to make the jam.
I popped out into the garden the other day and came back with 4lbs, so I decided to make some blackberry jelly, using a recipe from my mother's Cookery Year cookbook, but then I couldn't let the left-over cooked/drained fruit go to waste so I passed it through a mouli to get rid of the seeds and then turned it into jam.
Ingredients:
4lbs blackberries
1 pint water
juice of 2 lemons
sugar
First, simmer the blackberries with the water and lemon juice until tender (about 45 min). Then pour into a sieve lined with muslin and allow to drip for about an hour.
To make the jelly:
Collect the juice and allow 1lb of sugar for each 1lb of juice. Heat in a copper pan, and boil rapidly until setting point is reached. I use Nigella's tip and place a saucer in the freezer beforehand and then just test little blobs of jelly/jam to see if it crinkles when it cools. Then pour into clean, sterilised jars.
To make the jam:
Pass the remaining fruit left in the sieve through a mouli to get rid of the seeds. This will make a nice puree. Then weigh equal quantities of the fruit puree and sugar, and proceed as above to make the jam.
Cuisses de grenouille à la crème
I had family staying last week, and the kiddies were desperate to try some frogs legs French style! I'd never plucked up the courage to make them before, and had only eaten them once at friends... so it was a great opportunity for me to have a go at last!
Ingredients:
Two packs of frozen frogs legs
Milk and water to cover
Flour
Half a pack of butter (125 g)
Madeira
Whole head of garlic, crushed
Bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
Large tub of creme fraiche
Leave the frogs legs to defrost in a mixture of milk and water for a few hours at room temperature. Drain, then pat dry with kitchen paper, and coat with flour. I'm pretty squeamish so it was kind of freaky - everyone kept telling me they looked like little fairy legs and so I had to put on latex gloves to be able deal with it haha
Melt some of the butter in a frying pan, and fry the frogs legs in batches 'til golden on each side, flipping half way, and placing them in a warm earthenware dish. Keep adding butter as necessary, until all the frogs legs are done.
Drain the cooking fat, and deglaze the frying pan with a glug of Madeira.
Add the crushed garlic and creme fraiche, stir well, and allow to bubble and reduce. Then add the chopped parsley, stir thoroughly, pour over the frogs legs and heat in the oven for a few minutes.
They turned out really good, and the kiddies loved them especially, and piled their plates high!
It's quite labour-intensive, but really nice for a special treat!
Ingredients:
Two packs of frozen frogs legs
Milk and water to cover
Flour
Half a pack of butter (125 g)
Madeira
Whole head of garlic, crushed
Bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
Large tub of creme fraiche
Leave the frogs legs to defrost in a mixture of milk and water for a few hours at room temperature. Drain, then pat dry with kitchen paper, and coat with flour. I'm pretty squeamish so it was kind of freaky - everyone kept telling me they looked like little fairy legs and so I had to put on latex gloves to be able deal with it haha
Melt some of the butter in a frying pan, and fry the frogs legs in batches 'til golden on each side, flipping half way, and placing them in a warm earthenware dish. Keep adding butter as necessary, until all the frogs legs are done.
Drain the cooking fat, and deglaze the frying pan with a glug of Madeira.
Add the crushed garlic and creme fraiche, stir well, and allow to bubble and reduce. Then add the chopped parsley, stir thoroughly, pour over the frogs legs and heat in the oven for a few minutes.
They turned out really good, and the kiddies loved them especially, and piled their plates high!
It's quite labour-intensive, but really nice for a special treat!
Thursday, 16 July 2009
A poem
Night-walking
Gust of wind, warm as summer’s day
Wild plum leaf falls into my hair
Owl flies overhead
Imminent storm
16.07.09
Friday, 12 June 2009
Mint Tea
Just been out in the garden picking some herbs to hang in my kitchen to dry (lemon verbena, oregano and mint for now), and then had to make a pot of mint tea!
Summer is most definitely here!
Summer is most definitely here!
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Elderflower cordial
The elderflowers suddenly appeared in the hedgerows a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to have a go at making some elderflower cordial.
The hub went out and braved nettles and brambles, and came back with 2 bagfuls of flowerheads for me... I followed Sophie Grigson's recipe, with slightly less citric acid.
I was so pleased how it came out, I sent the hub out foraging again the next day, to make some more!
Ingredients:
20-30 elderflower heads
1.8 kg granulated sugar
1.2 litres water
2 unwaxed lemons, zest pared in wide strips, and flesh cut into slices
2 tbsp citric acid
First, I gave the flowerheads a good ole shake to make sure there were no creep crawlies left, then I placed them in a stock pot with the lemon zest and slices.
Meanwhile, I made a sugar syrup by heating the sugar and water in a pan, stirring til the sugar dissolved and bringing to a boil.
I then poured the sugar syrup over the blossoms and stirred in the citric acid, covered the pot with a cloth and let it stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
The next evening, I strained the cordial through a sieve lined with 2 layers of muslin, and then poured the syrup into glass and plastic bottles. I kept the glass bottle in the fridge to use right away, and popped the plastic bottles in the freezer. Makes about 5 x 50 cl bottles.
It is truly delicious and very refreshing. Best served with ice-cold sparkling water. I often add a little cordial to redcurrant and blackberry summer compote and serve as a verrine with greek yogurt - delish!
Thursday, 7 May 2009
Party Cake
J's party cake:
quadruple-layered genoise sponge, brushed with sirop de canne with a teensy bit of kirsch, filled with strawberry-flavoured cream and fresh strawberries, iced with strawberry-flavoured cream and decorated with home-made sugar flowers.
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