Lemon Biscuits

Easy, so crumbly and utterly delicious and melt in the mouth moreish. The trouble being, one is never enough. Hey ho. I have had this recipe for years and they never fail. This quantity makes about 18-20 according to size of course, but easily doubled of course.  Made and cooked in about 20 mins plus chilling. Store in an airtight container. Please use unwaxed lemons.

Pre heat your fan oven to 160C and lightly butter a large baking tray.

In a medium mixing bowl: place

6 oz plain flour

the finely grated zest of a very large lemon or two small/medium

4 oz softened, [warm, room temp] butter

Using your hand, gradually work the butter, zest and flour together to form a stiff mixture, then work in:

2 oz caster sugar

Chill for 30 mins.

Transfer to your work surface and carefully roll out until your mixture is about ¼ inch thick. Cut into rounds or whatever shape takes your fancy. I used a simple fluted 2½ cutter. Bring together and re roll off cuts. Carefully place the dough on your prepared baking sheet and bake for about 12 mins. Allow to cool on the tray for a moment or three then cool on a rack. Sprinkle over a little caster.

Oh my! Yum yum. So lemony and buttery. The minute the above were cold my husband ate four right off!! I had to rescue some to take the photo.

Jan’s Grandmother’s Upside Down Cake

Jan, my friend and distant cousin from down under, has passed to me her Grandmother’s and then her Mother’s Upside Down cake recipe. You don’t need to me tell you is is deliciously buttery and very yummy. Jan says her mother often used a different combo of fruit for the topping or even crushed pineapple. She also used almonds, although I used toasted hazelnuts, mostly because that is what needed to be used up!

You will need any non loose bottomed tin, although I used a ring tin. I like them!  But a round or square will do, probably about 6 or 7 inches.

Pre heat your fan oven to “moderate”. I plumped for 150C

4 oz butter

3 oz sugar - I used caster

2 large eggs

4 oz plain flour

1 teaspoonful baking powder

pinch salt

topping:

2 oz melted butter

2 oz brown sugar - I used demerara

2 oz chopped nuts

2 oz sultanas and /or cherries

In the base of your tin, tip the melted butter and also brush the sides with it, then arrange the remainder of your topping ingredients into the butter

In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar then add the beaten eggs and finally the flour and bp. Tip the cake mixture over the buttery fruit.

Bake for about 35-40 mins. Invert onto a cooling rack and enjoy! We found it even better the next day.

Note: Give the base a good tap to loosen any fruit that might have decided to stick. I had a couple that did not budge, but they are easy to pop on the top by hand.

Cherry Clafoutis

Nothing Cornish, or even English about this, but I just love Clafoutis. It is my current favourite easy dessert. Just a plain batter and it is made and ready in just over hour. It is traditional [in France of course] to use fresh cherries, although I think tinned black are easier. I have also used blackberries, raspberries etc. It can be eaten warm or cold [not hot] and is even good the next day. Please use whole milk [I like gold top] for the lovely milky flavour and if you keep a jar or tin of black cherries in the cupboard you always have an easy dessert to hand. I have tried many recipes for the perfect clafoutis and I can assure you this is the business!

You will need a shallow ish non stick fry pan, with a detachable handle or one with a metal handle that you can place in the oven. about 10 or 11 inches across. Pre heat your fan oven to 180C

2 large eggs separated

3 oz caster sugar

1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

4 oz plain flour

7 fl oz whole milk

grated zest of a lemon

2 tablespoonfuls melted butter for frying

Well drained morello cherries or fresh cherries if in season [but stoning them is a pain]

icing sugar for dusting before serving

In a medium bowl, place the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla and whisk until pale, smooth and frothy. This is much easier with an electric hand whisk.  About 2 mins. Add the remaining ingredients, except the egg white and beat until smooth. Rest for 20 mins.

Whisk the egg whites until you have medium stiff peaks. Then fold this into your rested batter. Heat the butter in the pan over a medium heat, then pour in your batter and cook on the top of your oven for 5-7 mins until the bottom is nicely browned. While this is cooking, just before you place in the oven, scatter over your cherries. Transfer to your pre heated oven and bake for about 20 mins.

Slide out of the pan onto a cake plate or similar and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Yum Yum. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Enjoy. I hope you have a go!

 

Leek and Salmon Tart

This was a favourite aunt’s recipe, minus the leeks which I later added. Can be halved, as this is a large tart and great for a family meal with baby potatoes and a salad. You can, of course use “all butter” shop bought pastry, making it even easier.

You will need a 9 inch deep ish, loose bottom flan tin. [yes, you can use a solid dish but I like to remove after baking]  Pre heat your fan oven to 190C

The pastry:

9 oz plain flour

a little salt and fresh ground pepper

½ teaspoonful dry mustard powder

5 oz cold butter

an egg to bind

Place in a bowl and rub in the butter, OR like me, place in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs and then add the egg and pulse again until it starts to form a ball. You may need to add a tablespoonful of cold water. Place in a poly bag and chill for at least 20 mins.

Roll out, to line your flan tin and prick the bottom of the pastry. Scrunch up some baking parchment and place on top of the pastry and fill with baking beans. Bake blind for about 15 mins in your hot oven. Take out the paper and beans and bake for another 10 mins. Meanwhile…..

The delish filling:

3 leeks, sliced - not too finely

4 large eggs, preferably organic

12 oz salmon fillet, that you have pan fried, cooled and removed the skin, then flaked

[you can buy this too!![

400ml single cream

a large knob of butter

salt and a little pepper

In a large frying pan, heat the butter and gently fry the sliced leeks, until just soft. Cool a little.

Whisk the eggs and cream together until well combined, season well, then stir in the leeks  Cover the flan base with your flaked salmon, then pour over the eggy leek mix and lightly stir to mix it all together.  Turn your oven down to 180C. Bake for another 25-30 mins.

Just lovely and surprisingly light. Very easy too. Before serving garnish with some very finely chopped parsley or dill.

I love it! 

Savoury 3 ingredient scones

As promised, here is the savoury version of that wonderful 3 ingredient scone recipe from Australia. Of course, it is three plus the cheese and onion and seasonings, but the scone base is still 3! My grateful thanks goes to Kirsten, from Sydney and other followers who have passed on to me the savoury alternative, using soda water. I made below, but of course the variations must be endless.

Pre heat your fan oven to 200C and lightly grease a baking tray. I used a 2½ inch cutter. Makes 12 and will freeze perfectly.

Cheese and Onion Scones

You will need to finely chop and fry a large red onion in a little oil and butter, lightly seasoned, until just browning and soft. Set aside to cool.

Grate the cheese of your choice - two large handfuls. I used Red Leicester.

3 cups of SR flour

1 cup of double cream

1 cup of soda water.

In a mixing bowl, place the flour, cheese and onion, plus seasonings. I used S&P and a teaspoonful of dry mustard powder.

Mix the cream and soda water and add to the flour. Bring together and lightly roll out on a floured worktop, about an inch thick. Cut into rounds and place on your baking sheet bake for 15 mins.

When just warm, slather in butter. Oh my!!

Enjoy.

Shortbread Date Slices

I love Date Slices and often make them as per the old 1920s Cornish recipe book, posted at least two or three years ago] but here is a slightly different version. Us Cornish do love our dates. Instead of using the ready stoned and chopped, I was trawling through the large Truro Sainsbury’s the other day and noticed they stock the old fashioned proper blocks and bought a couple. They are more work though, but it took me back to my Mother’s kitchen. The “shortbread mix” is so simple and absolutely delicious. Keeps well for a few days.

You will need a small [approx 11 x 7 inches] buttered Swiss Roll tin and pre heat your fan oven to 170C. I line the tin with parchment, going up the sides to help lift it out.

8 oz dates, chopped

1 tablespoonful honey

1 teaspoonful cinnamon

5 fl oz cold water

3 tablespoonfuls lemon juice

Place the above in a small saucepan and simmer until soft and squishy. Just a few minutes. Set aside to cool.

6 oz softened butter

3 oz caster sugar

6 oz SR flour

6 oz semolina

In a saucepan, gently melt the butter and sugar then add the flour and semolina. Mix well. Tip just about half into your prepared Swiss Roll tin, spread it out using a fork and then press down as evenly as you can. I used the back of a tablespoon. Spread over the date mixture. Cover with the other half of the shortbread mix and level and lightly press. This is quite difficult, so I just crumbled it as evenly as I could.

Bake for about 30 mins. Cool for a  short while then lift out onto a cooling rack and cut into slices when still warm with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

Just scrummy. Especially served warm with clotted cream as a dessert.

Crispy Milk Chocolate Cake

I have taken this scrumptious recipe from an old Echo Perfect Baking booklet. While I never [ever!] use marge, I do love this recipe, using butter of course. These old baking booklets are full of little gems and this is one of them. I used chopped roasted hazelnuts, cause that what I had in the cupboard.

You will need an 8 inch spring form cake tin, greased and lined. Pre heat your fan oven to 160C

4 oz softened butter

4 oz caster sugar

2 large eggs

7 oz SR flour

1 oz cocoa

5 tablespoonfuls evaporated milk

5 tablespoonfuls water

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar, beat in the eggs a little at a time then fold in the flour and cocoa [that you have sieved together] and tip into your prepared tin and bake for about 45-50 mins. Cool on a rack, Meanwhile….

4 oz milk chocolate

2-3 oz raisins

2 oz toasted almonds roughly chopped or hazelnuts.

Melt the chocolate in a small basin over some hot water, then when it has cooled a little, mix in the fruit and nuts. Spread over the top of the lovely milky chocolate cake. 

Enjoy! I cannot tell you how delish it is!!

Note: You can add some halved cherries to the topping too, if you wish. Place after you have spread over the topping.