Nectarine, Onion and Chilli Chutney - Ideal for Christmas Hampers

Sorry for the rubbish photo - but it was just a snap taken on my phone. I had not really thought of putting this recipe on the blog.

Basically, it was making use of some beautiful nectarines that were partially frozen due to being stuck to the back of the fridge !

Nicola - since you asked.... here it is - just for you.

This is a simple, bung it all in a pot recipe and it made 3 jars. I think they were 12 oz size. This was so good, I need to make some more in preparation for Christmas hampers

If you taste this when it's hot, it's going to be quite firey - surprisingly so ! However, the heat from the chilli was quite mild by the time it cooled down and I think I'll add an extra chilli next time.

Ingredients

4 nectarines

1 onion

1 large red chilli (incl seeds)

150g white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1.1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp of hot chilli powder

2 star anise

150mls cider vinegar

1/2 > 1 tsp of salt (to taste)

Basically, bung the lot in a pot. Cover and let bubble away until onions are translucent and fruit is soft and pulpy.

Remove lid and let it bubble some more until thickened. 

Decant whilst still hot into warm, sterilised jars.

Boudoir Biscuits and Cranberry Curd (TWO RECIPES)

Some cranberries were taunting me.  I'd bought them to make cranberry sauce just after Christmas and simply never got round to making it. There were two bags, two MONTHS out of date. The cranberries however looked really fresh still and were not wrinkled / shrivelled or squishy.

Mid February, I decided I'd better get on and make something with them fast and turned them into some vivid cranberry curd. 

Cranberry Curd

650g of fresh cranberries (makes approx 400g sieved puree)

juice and zest of 1 large orange

300g sugar

200g melted butter

 2 eggs plus 4 egg yolks

Add the orange juice and zest to the cranberries. Put in a covered saucepan and simmer until the berries burst.

Remove from heat and press the berries through a sieve to remove skins and seeds. Don't worry if some passed through. I normally sieve it again just before I jar it.

Beat the eggs and mix in the slightly warm melted butter. set aside

Put this back into the saucepan along with the sugar and start to heat through gently. Mix in the butter / egg mix over a low heat. Cook very gently (stirring all the time) on a low heat until the mixture thickens. This curd is a bit thicker than my normal as it uses puree rather than fruit juice.

Strain again through a sieve and put into warm sterilised jars.

Makes around 4 small jars.

On the same day, I also made Boudoir biscuits with a crispy sugary top - more commonly also known as LADY FINGERS and often used in making trifles and tiramisu. Yes, lady fingers are finger shaped, but I reckon there is no reason not to make them round if you want to.....

Boudoir Biscuits (adapted from Becksposhnosh.blogspot.com) 

3 eggs

4 tablespoons caster sugar

6 tablespoons icing sugar

3/4 cup plain (cake) flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup caster sugar (for later)

preheat the oven to 170deg C fan

Separate the eggs.

Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and then beat in the sugar  and vanilla until glossy. Fold in the sieved flour. Pipe fingers on to a tray lined with baking paper - or on into the circles on our Double Sided Macaron Mat like I did. Do note - this mixture doesn't spread out too much - but it will rise a fair bit.

Douse all the tops well with caster sugar. Leave for about 5 mins and then  give them a good dousing with yet more caster sugar.

Pop in the oven for around 12 > 15 minutes until turning a pale golden colour.

These are more like little crispy sugar coated plain sponge drops. They are a very fine and light sponge texture. Nothing like sponge cake !

Aren't they cute ? Leave for 5 mins to cool and then peel off the mats and finish cooling on a wore rack. Use them to nibble with a cup of tea or to make tiramusi or trifle.

Setting Sun in Norfolk, mid February

Sarah-Jane Nash - www.siliconemoulds.com

Seville Orange Curd and Sugar Top Buns

Seville oranges have such a short season. I'd bought a couple of kilos with the intention of making marmalade. 10 days later, they were still sitting there SCREAMING at me to be used. I've been so busy that I literally didn't have time to spare faffing about with marmalade, so I decided to turn it into an orange curd instead. I hoped that the tartness would be really apparent as it is with lemon curd. I adore that real mouth puckering citrus tang.

At first taste, it was nice - but initially I was disappointed. It was sweet and silky smooth. No tang. Pants. 

Then, just when you think it's all over, BAM - that strong orange taste and citrus tang kicks in several seconds afterwards... Awesome stuff. I had to make a second batch - too many things I wanted to do with it. Victoria got a jar and I sent two jars to my parents. I used a jar making some macarons (which I'll show you very shortly). My colleagues and I devoured another jar .... believe me - it doesn't last long / go far ..... with a batch of sugar top buns.

SEVILLE ORANGE CURD RECIPE (makes 3 smallish jars or two big ones)

200g sugar

3 eggs + 2 yolks

100g melted butter

250ml juice from seville oranges

zest 1.1/2 seville oranges

First of all, melt the butter and them add the seville juice and lemon zest.

Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar in a pan, then whisk in the butter and lemon mix.

Stir continuously over a low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Put into sterilised jars and seal. 

This lemon curd recipe does not need a double boiler. Keep a sink full of cold water nearby. If it looks like it might split, plunge the pan bottom into the water and then whisk like fury. I've never had it split yet...(though I've water dunked it once or twice before).

Sugar top buns are one of my childhood memories. I believe these are really only common in Central Scotland, mainly in the Glasgow area. They were also known as Paris Buns - but sugar tops is the name I remember them as. 

I remember my dad bringing them back from Lightbody The Bakers in Hamilton. Back in those days, they had three retail bakeries in Hamilton that I remember and I think two tearooms. They made the most fantastic potato scones, Scottish Plain Bread and when mum went, she always came back with a jar of their lemon curd.

Sadly, they sold out and became a large commercial bakery / factory - now producing and selling celebration cakes to supermarkets. All the little shops and tearooms have gone.

From my memories, sugar tops are much like a domed scone, pale in colour and encrusted in crunchy sugar nibs (also known as sugar pearls in the baking trade)

I've used my favourite scone recipe.

Sugar Tops / Paris Buns - makes 6

350g self raising flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

4 tablespoons white sugar

175g milk

squeeze of lemon juice

100g butter

egg white (to glaze)

sugar nibs / pearls (or crushed sugar cubes) to coat

Preheat fan oven to 200deg C

Scones are so quick and easy to make that once you make them once yourself, you'll never go back to shop bought. I'm serious.

1. Grate your butter. Yes - sounds crazy. I think that was a tip I picked up off a Jamie Oliover program many years ago. It may seem mad - but it works like a dream. You want to work the dough as little as you possibly can. Grating the butter means it incorporates into the dough FAR faster.

2. Warm your milk. Just as you are ready to use it, give it a zap in the microwave. You want it nice and hot - but not too hot to touch.

3. Sour the milk with a squeeze of lemon juice (or use buttermilk). I normally use a little lemon juice. If you don't have any, vinegar would do. It doesn't need much !

4. Handle the scone dough as little as possible and get it in the oven as fast as you can. The addition of the warm / hot milk helps them rise from the inside.

In a large bowl, mix sieved flour, salt, sugar and baking powder. Rub in the grated butter until crumbs form. 

Warm the milk and add it to the dry ingredients. Combine with a fork. Bring together with your hands. It will be very soft and a little sticky.

Tip out on to a work surface and pat it into a rough rectangle about 9" x 6" I guess. Try not to add any extra flour and handle the dough as little as you possibly can. Mine is normally about 2" thick (yes - before they go in the oven !)

I never ever roll my scone dough....and I never use cutters on it either. If you want to cut it into rounds, push the cutter the whole way down in one go. Don't twist / rotate the cutter as you do this - otherwise the scones don't rise nearly so well.

I simply cut into rectangles with a sharp knife. One single cut down and lift the knife out exactly the way it went in. I basically cut my rectangle into 3 and then each big piece into two.

Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment - or use a silicone baking tray liner as shown above. Great things these are - save me a small fortune in baking parchment.

Squeeze each piece into a rough ball. Coat in egg white and then roll in the sugar nibs or crushed sugar cubes would do until coated all over. Place on baking tray and flatten slightly.

Bake for 10 > 12 mins at 200deg C (fan) until just starting to colour

Eat slightly warm, or cold. Delicious slathered with butter and raspberry jam or lemon curd.

A few snaps from a cold winter visit to Southwold 2 weeks ago.

of course, whatever the weather - digging in the sand was a must !

We went for some lunch and a warm up afterwards. I could have cried at how grown up Oliver was. He very politely ordered himself some apple juice and cottage pie. Thank goodness both were on the menu ! Whilst waiting on his tea, we did some basic maths counting fingers to work out the answers to some puzzles.

Sarah-Jane Nash - www.siliconemoulds.com - Feb 2012

Spiced Crab Apple Jelly

I'm very late in blogging this one. Been meaning to do it for several weeks. Already Autumn has passed and winter is upon us.

Nature brings a bountiful harvest. There is something special about harvesting bountiful wild crab apples and hedgerow berries. The vast majority of people pass them by without a second glance. To me, they are something special to be savoured. Easy to collect, and free to gather they impart beautiful flavours and are delicious made into jellies to serve on thickly buttered bread or toast and as a condiment alongside meats.

Add to a maslin pan :

2.5kg of crab apples

a thumb sized piece of root ginger

2 sticks of lemon grass

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 stick of cinnamon

Juice and zest of a lemon

Add approx 1 litre of water and boil until the fruit becomes soft and pulpy.

Strain off the liquid through some muslin. Actually, an clean pillowcase works well too. I can't resist squeezing out any excess juice, but by doing so this will make jellies a little cloudy. For this reason, I generally pass the juice a second time through a muslin cloth.

Put the juices back in the pan - with 750g of sugar for every litre of juice. Boil until setting point for jam is reached on a sugar thermometer and then pour into sterilised jars

Other variations of this can be made. I also made some hedgerow jelly (not spiced) with 1.5kg of mixed hedgerow berries such as sloes, hawthorne, rose hips and 1kg crab apples. Delicious on warm buttered scones.

Apologies - I didn't get round to taking photos of the hedgerow jelly. Shame, as it was a beautiful pink hue.

Rose Petal & Strawberry Jelly Filled Heart Sponges

The roses have been in bloom in our garden. Only one or two at a time. Then BAM - about 8 open on one day. Yippee - finally, there are enough to do something with. I wander down the garden with a pair of scissors and sadistically chop all the heads off..... 

These were not for a vase - they were to cook and make into a jelly (seedless jam).

Oliver was rather bemused as I pulled all the petals from the roses and then told me off for ruining them. He soon changed his tune when it came to blitzing them with a hand blender and he wanted a turn !

RECIPE FOR STRAWBERRY & ROSE PETAL JELLY

3 cups water

juice of a lemon

juice of 1/2 a lime

2 cups granulated sugar

75ml liquid pectin

200g strawberries

petals from approx 7 rose heads

First of all, remove all the petals from the rose heads and check for "wee beasties". Gently rinse under clean, cold tap water. 

Put the rose petals in a jug with the water and blitz with a hand held mixer. Rather reminds me of making "perfume" as a kid !

Put your blitzed rose petal soup into a pot and bring to the boil. Turn off heat and leave to stand for about 30mins. Strain through muslin to remove the petals (which will now look a funny white / grey colour). Put the liquid back in the pot. Add mushed strawberries, sugar, lemon and lime. Boil for approx 10 minutes.

Strain again through a muslin cloth to remove strawberry seeds and remains. Careful ! The liquid will be very hot (unless you have loads of patience and let it cool first)

Put liquid back into the pot once more. Add the pectin and boil for approx another 10 mins or until it starts to thicken slightly. Remove from heat and pour into warm, sterilised jars. Fills 3 small jars.

Use to spread on to home made scones or fresh bread. Works well for filling little cakes too !

These little cakes were made in a brand new silicone bakeware / cake mould that we now have available. The new 8 Recessed Heart Mould has heart shaped cells with a recessed heart shape internally within each one. This creates a perfect little cavity to drop in some of the rose petal and strawberry jelly....

A basic 2 egg sponge mix will fill all 8 cells nicely

Grease and flour each cell, tapping out any excess before filling with cake mix

(I use 60g butter, 60g sugar and 60g of self raising flour + 1 egg. This can be multiplied as required for a basic sponge)

Fill cells 3/4 full with sponge mix 

Bake at approx 160deg C Fan oven for around 18mins or until done.

It will look like this coming out the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes or so until cool enough to handle. Flip the mould over and the heart cakes will come out.

Once totally cooled, put BACK in the moulds and cut the tops off the cakes with a serrated knife level to the top of the mould. Turn the cakes back out and they will all now have neat, even bases.

Drop a spoonful of (preferably) home made jam or jelly into each cavity.

Share with a friend and some sticky fingered toddlers (that like sucking the jammy bit out the middle) and then feed your cake to a bunch of scrounging chickens that are patiently waiting on leftovers !

Thanks for posing Nicky & glad you enjoyed them :-)   The boys had fun when they weren't fighting ! x

Sarah-Jane Nash. Happy summer days - www.siliconemoulds.com  - July 11

Whisky Orange Marmalade

It's been some years since I last made marmalade and home made is SO many times better than shop bought. Seville oranges are coming to the end of their short season now - so get your hands on some quickly if you get the chance.

I actually made this a couple of weeks ago, late one evening. I had not managed to get hold of any seville oranges, but the normal ones are superb anyway at the moment - so I just used those.

Normally, white granulated sugar is used in marmalade. Sometimes, if you want a really dark and strong marmalade - a big spoonful of black treacle will be added to the pot.

In a moment of genius, I decided to use light brown soft sugar instead of regular white granulated. It adds soft caramel tones to the marmalade. It makes the marmalade taste is really smooth and it's full of flavour but not bitter.

900g oranges

2 lemons

1kg sugar

1.7litres of water

150ml Scotch whisky

How you prepare your oranges may vary. I chose to squeeze the juice out of mine into the pot with the water, scrape out the pith and seeds and suspend these in the pot in a muslin bag. I left the lemons whole and finely sliced my orange peel. Boil for approx 2 hours until the orange peel and lemons are softened.

After that - I decided it was a total waste to chuck the lemons away ! Instead, I cut them open and squeezed out the juice. It's much easier to remove the pith and also to slice the peel up AFTER they've been boiled first - so next time, I'd boil the fruit more.

Discard pith / seeds and add sugar and whisky. Boil until temperature reaches setting point on a sugar themometer. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 5 mins before bottling into warm sterilised jars.

I sterilise my jars in my halogen oven cooker. It will generally take about 8 jars at a time. With no preheat and only using 1/3 of the power of my conventional fan oven, it's quick and energy saving.

Ok ok.... you want to know what REALLY happened ???

Well - Oliver had been a little poorly, so I had not been out with him that day to feed the ponies. When my husband came home, the oranges in water were boiling away nicely. I asked him to keep a check on it whilst I went to go and feed the animals.

By the time I got back,  he'd forgotten about the pot on the cooker ..... The oranges / lemons were close to having boiled dry ! The kitchen was full of steam with the amount of water that had boiled off.

I added some more water to the pot... not really knowing how much it needed along with the whisky but guessed it would need to boil a bit longer thna normal with the sugar in to reach setting point..

I brought a bag of sugar from the cupboard to add to the pot and on the way fell over a toy fire engine that had appeared by magic. The sugar was all over the floor and not fit for use. After a clean up, I discovered that the only sugar left in the cupboard was light brown soft. That's how it got to be in my marmalade. A lucky emergency ingredient that made a wonderful addition and amazing substitue !

Sometimes things don't go smoothly....

Sarah-Jane Nash - http://www.siliconemoulds.com/ silicone bakeware moulds cookshop and online store.

Gooseberry, Elderflower & Lemon Jam

Ok - so this is cheating a little. I made this jam just over a week ago - but I'm really behind and still have not got everything downloaded off my camera.

Jam is really easy to make - especially if you have invested in a sugar thermometer. The thermometer takes away any guessing and does away with lots of tests for sets. Worthwhile investment if you make preserves and jams.

I'm going to try and not make much in the way of jam this year as I've still got a load of jars in the shed from last year having gone a bit overboard with jamming. However, copious amounts of beautiful elderflowers growing in the field were begging to go with some gooseberries I bought at Diss market.

 I'd had my eye on their beautiful cherries and had decided to get some on my way back from feeding the ducks with Oliver as the queue was so long. However, by the time I got back - the cherries were gone !

Still - locally grown gooseberries were still a huge treat and perfect to go with the elderflower (pictured above) which was growing just inside my field gate.

After topping and tailing the gooseberries, I snipped the stems from the approx 8 elderflower heads. Then, I laid them on a muslin square and tied them into a bouquet garni using a silicone food tie. The silicone food ties are fantastic little things - for tying meat joints, baked fish and multiple other uses. They pretty much replace string in the kitchen and are stupidly easy to undo. No trying to dig string out of your crackling.

Sorry - I digress ! I tied the other end of the silicone food rope to the handle of the pot on the outside - which made removing it later a breeze.

Add 2lb of gooseberries, approx 350ml of water and juice of a lemon. Cook until gooseberries start to become soft and pulpy. At this point, add the sugar and then boil for approx 20 > 25 mins until the jam reaches a set or jam temperature on a sugar thermometer.

Pour into warm, sterilised jars ( I now use the halogen oven for sterilising jam jars) which saves a lot of electricity over using my main oven.

The result was a rosey coloured soft set jam with a really nice tang and refreshing taste. Lovely with some fresh bread and butter.

Sarah-Jane Nash - the SiliconeMoulds.com cook shop, Norfolk. UK based, shipping worldwide.