Home Made Chicken Nuggets - Oliver's Favourite !

Some of you may know that I originally started this blog as an online diary / photo album for far away friends and family. For this reason, I make absolutely no apologies for the fact that many of the posts are full of stories and photos of my little boy Oliver - he's basically what started it all.

The last two years, my mum has made us a hard back recipe book of this blog. It's fantastic as it's an album of family recipes and memories. I've got it on ebook version on my iphone and ipad too !

Anyway ....

My dear little Oliver. This recipe is just for you. My gran (Nanny Johnsons mummy) used to make the most wonderful fish and chips. As children, Uncle Simon and I used to get so excited when she made her battered fish for us as a treat.

This is the basic batter recipe I make for your favourite homemade chicken nuggets. Despite not even being quite 4 yo, you helped chop up those potatoes with a great big knife for the wedges. Mummy had to watch your didn't chop off her fingers !

Funnily enough, one of tonight's chicken nuggets looked very much like a tiny oven-ready chicken !

There isn't much too this recipe and no weights etc. I just make it up in volume to suit what I need. You could use this batter for fish too. You are growing up so fast already ! One day you'll be a big boy and off to college / uni or having left home and want to make these yourself.....

About a cup of plain flour

some very cold, sparkling water

pinch of Maldon sea salt
1/4 tsp or so of tumeric

a pinch of garlic granules

Sometimes I add a few chopped fresh herbs. I also add a good sprinkling of cayenne pepper or chilli powder to the batter for daddy and I after I've made yours. The tumeric isn't spicy - 

Add some of the cold, sparking water to the flour and whisk until there are no lumps. It wants to be a little more liquid than a dropping consistency cake mix.

Slice your chicken breasts - each into about 8 pieces. Dip in the batter and then fry in hot sunflower oil for about 5 mins until golden and crispy. If you have a digital thermometer, I normally make sure the oil is about 135 deg C + before I drop them in.

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For the wedges, simply chop the unpeeled potatoes into wedges and pop into a self seal / ziploc type bag. Add some seasoning (cajun spices, garlic granules etc are good too) and a drizzle of olive oil. Close the bag and give it a good shake. Tip on to a baking tray - and bake at about 210deg C until golden and crispy - about 25 mins.

All my love, Mummy xx

Bailey's Irish Cream Marshmallows - Luxurious Hot Chocolate Topping

This is a delightfully indulgent and sinfully good ADULT treat. These Irish Cream Liqueur marshmallows are pillowy soft and would make a lovely inclusion to any Christmas gift hamper. Serve on top of hot chocolate with whipped cream and relax in front of a roaring log fire.

Alternatively, pop three or four on a stick, coat in chocolate and roll in chopped nuts.

These are truly delicious. However due to the alcohol and fat content in the cream liqueur, these marshmallows get a slightly gritty texture after a couple of days so are best eaten fresh. However, they'll keep a good couple of weeks in an air tight container for putting on top of hot chocolate and the texture isn't an issue when they're melted !

This recipe is adapted from River Cottage

500g sugar

250mls water

2 sachets (about 24g) of gelatine granules - I used Dr Oeteker
125ml Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur

2 egg whites - room temperature

Put the sugar and water in a large heavy based pan.

Put the Bailey's in a small bowl, sprinkle on the gelatine granules (you may want to stir) and leave to bloom for about 10 minutes.

Bring the sugar and water to the boil. Do NOT stir. Boil for about 5 mins until the sugar temperature reaches 122 deg C. You will need a little digital probe thermometer and these can be purchased for under £5.00 including postage on Ebay.

When the temperature of the sugar syrup reaches 110deg C, whip the egg whites to stiff peak.

When the sugar syrup gets to 122deg C , remove from the heat. Allow to sit for a minute or so and then stir in the Baileys / gelatine mix.

Whilst beating the egg whites, slowly pour in the sugar syrup mix - avoiding it directly touching the beaters. You can use a hand held mixer for this.

When thickened (but pourable) - pour into a lightly oiled Swiss Tray Bake silicone bakeware mould. Allow to set for at least 3 hours until firm.

Cut into squares and then roll in a 50 : 50 mix of powdered sugar and cornflour - or into cocoa powder.

Sarah-Jane Nash - September 2012

Maple and Walnut Fudge - It's Quick and Easy !

I've blogged my fudge recipe a few times before - it's quick, easy and very versatile. Just change a few small things and you can create any flavour you wish. I promise - this is far nicer than shop bought fudge.

It keeps a fair amount of time too - 2 > 3 weeks in a tupperware box in the fridge. I've never tried not refrigerating it - so no idea if it will survive non refrigerated for more than a few days.

The main thing is : DON'T FORGET TO STIR ! You do need to stir this stuff constantly or it will burn on the bottom of the pan in the blink of an eye.... 

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (250ml liquid volume) of sugar

1/2 cup of evaporated milk

125g salted butter (or unsalted plus a pinch of salt)

1/4 cup of maple syrup 

100g of marshmallows

125g white chocolate (chopped)

1/2 cup of chopped "add-ins" (in this case walnuts) - plus extra for the top

Put the sugar, evaporated milk, maple syrup, butter and marshmallows in a large heavy based pan. Do make sure it is a large pan - and preferably non stick - as this stuff can and will bubble volcanically ! There is nothing worse than getting hot sugar on your skin - it can inflict some rather serious burns.

Bring slowly to a rolling boil. As soon as a gentle rolling boil is achieved, time for 5 minutes.

Stir constantly - there will be some carmelized brown bits come to the surface. This will not appear in the finished product. If you stop stirring, it will catch and burn however.

As soon as the 5 minutes of boiling is up, stir in the chocolate and add ins until the chocolate is melted.

Immediately pour into a 9" square silicone bakeware pan or alternatively a 12 sponge finger mould as I used in the video and put some extra walnuts on top.

Leave to cool before slicing.

For other variations, try milk or dark chocolate, 3/4 cup of evaporated milk plus some vanilla, rosewater or other flavour extract. For alcoholic versions - use 1/2 cup of evaporated milk and 1/4 cup of alcohol (ie Bailey's, Malibu, Whisky, Cointreau, etc). For add-ins..... pretty much any dried fruit and nuts work, broken cookies, candy / sweets such as maltesers, m&m's etc.

Have fun creating and let me know what combinations you make !

Sarah-Jane Nash, www.siliconemoulds.com - September 2012

Hearty Ham Soup - and a Hot Air Balloon !

I'd just made soup for tea, when I looked out the window yesterday evening and saw a hot air balloon out the window. 

We do see a lot of them round here at this time of year - but this balloon was VERY low and coming into land just a couple of fields away from our house. I yelled at Oliver to hurry and grab his shoes and  30 seconds later, we leapt into the car to go and find out exactly where it was coming down.

"We're going to be too late Mummy!" Oliver cried from the front passengers seat. 

Thankfully, luck was on our side and the balloon was just touching down as we got out the car.

We waited as they clambered out of the basket...... 

Then we watched them pull the canopy to the ground !

They all had to get on the end of the rope. Lots of pulling involved.

It's pretty spectacular stuff to see a great big hot air balloon coming down.

Finally, it came to the ground - but still took quite a long time to deflate.

After that, it was all packed on to a trailer and at that - we went back home for tea !


Anyway - here is the soup recipe for you.

I make it in my electric pressure cooker which has a 6 litre capacity and cook for 1 hour at pressure.

250g red lentils
1 large smoked ham hock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 bay leaves
4 medium dried chillies
1 tsp ground ginger
2 sticks celery, stringy bits removed then diced.

Basically, shove the whole lot in the pressure cooker, then top up to the 6litre mark with water.

Bring to pressure and then cook for 1 hour. Once releasing pressure, skin the hock and remove the meat, adding the meat only back to the soup.

That's it ! couldn't be simpler...

It Isn't Carrot Cake Muffins ..... It's Apple.... !

I've been stuck at home this week, and some of last week.... literally.

Mostly because my little Bogwoppit (Oliver) has been very poorly indeed with a chest infection - but latterly also due to the fact that my pick up truck died on the driveway and had to be trailered to the garage. It's looking like an expensive repair... :-(

Oliver has barely eaten in a couple of weeks - though now he's on penicillin, is starting to improve.

"All I would like is a carrot cake please Mummy"

Hmm - when your child is as miserable as this, hasn't eaten all day (it's 5pm) and requests carrot cake, what are you going to do ? Make carrot cake of course !

Well - I went to the fridge and had a root around. Stacks of vegetables - but only two carrots. Rather rubbery, shrivelled and bendy carrots at that. They weren't going to be much good to make carrot cake - now were they .....

Being as I live miles from anywhere, had a poorly little boy and no car, improvisation was the order of the day.

They smelled glorious when I took them out the oven and I glazed the tops with a little warmed honey.

As I was taking these photos, Oliver had fallen asleep. There was a noise outside and a rap on the door.

HOORAY ! The local garage had turned up unannounced  and unexpected with a courtesy car. I can go on my chocolate making course tomorrow now after all !

As they handed me the keys, I handed them a plate with 6 warm apple muffins - also unexpected and just as welcome. Smiles all round.

"Is my carrot cake ready yet Mummy?" a little voice pipes up.

"Yes Honey. Sort of......"

Basically, this is my favourite carrot cake recipe, baked into muffins... but substituting apples for the carrots. When I make carrot cake, I'd normally use orange juice and zest and some more cinnamon plus a good big handful of raisins. Otherwise, it's as below : 

INGREDIENTS

RECIPE MAKES 12

280g plain flour

140g sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 egg

90ml apple juice - or sub with other fruit juice

360g coarsely grated apple

1 tsp vanilla essence

100ml vegetable oil

Add nuts or raisins if wished.

Add oil and juice together and mix in the egg with a fork. To this, add the grated apple.

Sift all the dry ingredients and add wet ingredients to the bowl. Mix in roughly with a wooden spoon - only until combined. Spoon into a lined tin or paper cupcake cases in a 12 cell silicone muffin mould or tin

Use a 12 hole silicone muffin mould and line with paper cake cases / liners. The moulds and paper case are available from our online shop at http://www.siliconemoulds.com

These will look rather full as below.

 Due to the huge amount of apple (or carrots if you have any) - these don't rise very much.

Bake at 175deg C fan for 20mins. Glaze with warm honey or agave nectar on removing from the oven.

Enjoy !

Apple Cider Cake with Butterscotch Glaze

This is the apple cider cake with butterscotch glaze that I made for the August meet of the Norwich Clandestine Cake Club meet. Actually - I made two.... because I wanted to play... but the other one will be a different blog post since I've had requests on my Facebook page for a tutorial !

Our venue was a secret until a couple of days before - but it turned out to be Whitlingham Hall Conservatory. The hall was originally built in 1865. About 50 houses and the hall make up a small private estate with immaculately maintained grounds which are not open to the public. It was a real honour for the cake club to be granted permission to use this as a venue.

This is a photo taken just outside the conservatory showing some of the cakes on offer.

Peek-a-boo !

Which one would you choose ! There were FAR too many to try them all...

For my cake, I used our Five Hearts Tube / Bundt Silicone Bakeware mould. A similar bundt ring mould or cake pan would do.

First of all, lightly butter and then dust with flour the inside of your cake mould. Alternatively, spray with cake release spray.

Preheat the oven to 175deg C Fan.

 INGREDIENTS

315g salted butter

500g sugar

500ml of cider (boil to reduce to 1 cup / 250ml approx)

375g all purpose plain flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

6 eggs

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one.

Mix in 1/3 of dry ingredients, followed by 1/3 of the reduced cider. Alternate adding remaining dry ingredients and cider reduction.

Bake at 175deg C Fan for approx 70mins in a greased and floured tube ring / bundt ring silicone bakeware mould or equivalent pan - until a skewer comes out clean.

For the glaze :

1 cup of sugar (250mls)

115g of butter

150ml of single cream

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Put all the glaze ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Stir constantly. It needs to boil for about 8 to 10 mins. Remove from the heat. Use a brush to spread half of it over the cake, covering all of the outside.

Put the remaining glaze in a small jug and leave to cool. This can be used for pouring a little extra on over each slice

WARNING - this stuff rises up high in the pan - use a medium size pan - not a tiny milk pan !

Serves approx 15.

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

Heart and Kitty / Teddy Shaped Macarons - NEW STYLE MACARON MAT

Heart shape and Hello Kitty / Teddy bear shape macarons have always been awkward to make. If you have ever tried piping them, you'll know that the shape often distorts in baking. It's very very hard to achieve identical size and shaped macarons to pair up together. Making fancy shape macarons normally results in a few decent ones and a load you want to pretend someone else made !

This mat works in exactly the same way as our very popular original Revolutionary Double Sided Macaron Mat (that one has two sizes of circular cells). You can find many recipes using our macaron mats on this blog. The important thing is that timing when baking on these mats differ. I like to bake at 150deg C fan with the door open for 5 mins, and then a further 18 > 20 mins with the door shut. I don't bother leaving them out to wait for a skin to form - that happens anyway when you bake for 5 mins with the door open and saves a lot of hanging around.

This macaron mat has 16 cells on each side, each 60mm wide, with plenty of air space / gap around each macaron.  Each mat is 300mm x 300mm / 12" square and fits on a standard baking tray. We also make this mat in a 600 x 300mm commercial size.

Simply pipe you mix to fill the inner line, and as it relaxes, it should spread to the outer line. Use a teaspoon handle or similar to coax the mixture into the ears and point / bulbs of the heart if required. 

I find it best to pipe one tray load at a time with the hearts / kittys so I can coax the mix into the tighter areas before it starts to skin.

After piping, place two heart shaped sprinkles on tip to tip just below the ear to create a bow for Kitty. The face markings are drawn on using an edible marker after baking.

To make enough mix to bake two trays of macarons and a few extra, use 1/2 my standard recipe in the YOUTUBE tutorial.