RRR – the finale!

Here it is in all its glory!

I served this dessert, coincidentally, on the hottest day of the year so far – perfect timing!

The feedback was brilliant - minimum effort for maximum impact.

“... that is how rhubarb should taste – beautiful”.

When I asked the following evening “same again?” - oh yes please!

My final suggestion – remember the rhubarb curd – add a generous teaspoon to the top of the ripple and roasted rhubarb.

It might seem as if you're overdosing on rhubarb – it's the balance that matters – the creaminess of the ice-cream with a hidden burst of the fruit, extra zing on the side and topped with the sweet edge of the curd.

It's a bit like the old fashioned rhubarb and custard, albeit frozen, but not quite so heavy.

Hmm, a treat for next weekend?

Ritzy Rhubarb Ripple (RRR) the photos

This “marriage” has to be one of the most successful. For those who dislike rhubarb you may change your mind when it's roasted and folded through ice-cream – definitely worth a shot!

Ritzy Rhubarb Ripple

It's important that your roasted rhubarb is completely cool.

Make a batch of no-churn vanilla ice-cream – the easy peasy no faff version – for ease of reference here's a reminder :

Vanilla Ice-cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Freezing time 6-8 hours or until firm

Gives 1.6 litres of ice cream plus 300g of

roasted rhubarb

1 x 397 tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double (heavy) cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff – so that you have a ribbon effect. Have a look at the photos that follow if you're not sure.

Add half the quantity of the roasted rhubarb and juice - 300g and fold gently through the ice-cream. Box and fridge the remaining half of the roasted rhubarb.

I freeze the ripple in boxes measuring 7x11x5 cms – you'll fill four boxes, even five if you want less than a full box. It's easier for portion control since you need to take the ice-cream out of the freezer for 15 minutes to let it soften a little before serving.

The bonus is that rhubarb freezes well. Summer is a coming and if, like me, you've a surfeit and don't want to waste any, freeze it in 300g batches, in Pour and Store bags – self-standing and resealable – ideal for storing and freezing liquids - “preserve your liquid assets” - I buy mine from “Wilkos”. These bags are excellent – they take up less room than a rigid container so more free space in your freezer!

Photos next ...

Speaking of the rhubarb harvest

Here are a couple of my ideas.

My favourite rhubarb recipe is roasted. You don't get a broken down mush like substance which might be fine for a crumble base, but not so hot if you want it to look good as well.

Roasted Rhubarb

Serves 4

550g rhubarb

85g golden caster sugar

Pre-heat your oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6.

Rinse the rhubarb and shake off excess water. Trim the ends and cut the rhubarb into small pieces. Put the rhubarb in a shallow dish or baking sheet with sides, tip the sugar over, toss it then shuffle the rhubarb so it remains in a single layer. It's important that you cut your rhubarb as small and as evenly as possible. 1 cm slices is just the job – there's no need to take ages measuring every piece – cut one or two to get the 1 cm slice and then use your eyes as a guide.

Cover with foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the foil – the sugar should have dissolved so give everything a shake and roast for another 10/15 minutes or until tender and the juices are syrupy. Test with a sharp knife, the rhubarb should be cooked through and kept its shape.

For the sake of argument you'll finish up with 600g of rhubarb.

What next? Since rhubarb and vanilla are one of the greatest marriages it seems rude not to take advantage.

The curd – hints and tips and photos too

First a suggestion. When you reach the stage where the cooked curd is cooling, before decanting, transfer it to a jug. It's much easier to control when pouring.

The recipe states “Makes 1 jar (18 servings)”. Grr – how big is the flippin jar! A serving is surely relative – a child with small appetite, an adult with a larger one. Moan over. Here's my hint. Instead of making one jar make smaller ones. I used jars measuring 5cms in diameter, 7.5cms deep. You'll get approximately 400g of curd from one batch and so I was able to fill three jars with 130g of curd. To me this made much more sense since the curd only keeps for a week. Using smaller jars means you can give a couple away to your testing team – or may be one jar and keep two!

The photos :

Two jars duly despatched – verdict to follow.

I'm not sure whether you're sniffy about which supermarket you frequent but I have to say it's worth a quick whiz around Asda for a few bits and pieces, to pick up a copy of Asda Good Living.

I loved the curd and thought it was a great idea to do something different with the rhubarb harvest.

P.s. As you know 3x130 = 390g – the remaining 10g of curd is for you – the cook and chief taster!

The next best magazine

If you're a regular reader of my missives – I can live in hope - then you'll know that I recently mentioned supermarket “give away” magazines. My wonderful Sister collects them for me on her travels - thank you Whizzer – my nickname for her “borrowed” from The Beano in the 60ies and a character called Billy Whizz who was a boy who could run very fast – as does my Sister! I digress.

I have a quick flick through all the magazines and every now and again a recipe catches my eye.

I liked the look of the following recipe from Asda Good Living April I suppose because it's about rhubarb and different from the usual stuff.

Easy Rhubarb Curd

400g Rhubarb

50ml water

2 large eggs

150g caster sugar

2 tsps cornflour

25g unsalted butter

Chop the rhubarb and place in a large saucepan with 50ml of water. Bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 10 minutes or until it is softened and broken down.

Cool and then strain the rhubarb into a heatproof jug then strain through a fine sieve. Press out all the juice with the back of a spoon. Discard the residue in the sieve. Rinse out the pan.

In a bowl whisk together 2 large eggs, 150g caster sugar and 2 tsps of cornflour. Slowly add the rhubarb juice a little at a time, stirring continuously. Transfer the mixture back to the pan and add 25g unsalted butter, cut into pieces.

Cook over a low heat for 12-18 minutes, stirring regularly until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Allow the rhubarb curd to cool, then spoon into a sterilised jar. This will keep for a week in the fridge.

Interested? Hints and tips on their way and the photos.

The proof of the fish and chips …

is in the eating and the photos.

If you fancy treating yourself to a weekend away I'd recommend this part of the world.

Fylde Fish bar, 39 Weld Road, Birkdale, Southport, PR8 2DS – telephone 01704 565659. Open Monday to Saturday 11.30am – 2pm and 4.30pm – 8.30pm. Closed Sunday.

Happy travels!

Fish and Chips …

Last June we were in Whitby and of course tried very hard and succeeded in finding the best of their fish and chips.

Fast forward to the Aotearoa bnb weekend in Southport. In Birkdale Village my fish and chip quest continues, this time on the west of the UK and Saturday evening supper is on our mind.

Literally around the corner from the family was the Fylde Fish Bar – it came highly recommended.

At first glance you'd probably think it's your average establishment - it is anything but. Two out of five of us chose Fylde Fish Bar Home Made Steak Pie. To say that I was sceptical puts it mildly – any pie that purports to be “home made” gets a wide berth. I can only tell you what I saw which was whole chunks of tender meat in gravy, hidden in a delicious short pastry crust. It really is home made. The rest of us chose the more traditional fish and chips with the customary mushy peas and I sampled the curry sauce too – it has to be done! It was all delicious.

They are also famous for their home made chicken curry.

This is a family run business who care about the food that passes over their counter.

When was the last time you were offered a “Vegetarian Board Menu” in a chippy? I appreciate you might not want one but some of us were thrilled to see it. Halloumi bites, Mozzarella Sticks, Halloumi Burger, to name three choices, but the most innovative was a “Grazing Box” comprising garlic mushrooms, mozzarella sticks, Halloumi Bites and Jalapeno Mozzarella. A clever idea.

To put the cherry on top of the cake or I suppose the onion ring on top of the burger – they have coeliac Monday Fish and Chips – gluten free fish and chips, hello!

I know I don't get out much but I've never seen such a comprehensive attempt to suit everyone in a chippy. Personally, the vegetarian board gets first prize followed closely by gluten free fish and chips.

Photos coming …

Aotearoa continued

Denise's signature dish is Smoky Sweet Potato Hash :

“Sweet Potato thinly sliced with some Chilli,

Cayenne Pepper and Crispy Bacon pieces, topped

with soft eggs and chives. A great kick start to the

morning!”

All the breakfasts are gluten free, grain free and use locally sourced or home-grown ingredients. Check out the website www.aotearoasouthportbnb.co.uk for full details.

If you want a weekend away – with or without your dog - Aotearoa is the perfect location to visit the places mentioned in It's a dogs life.

To make life easier, here's all the information you'll need :

Thanks again Denise, Vince, Leroy and Ziva

with love from Rose xxxx

P.s. I should say that until I asked Denise if I may take a photograph of my eggs she had no idea I wrote a food blog.

Aotearoa Southport Bed and Breakfast

Rose was particularly looking forward to breakfast. One of the perks is that she also gets her breakfast included – a sausage and bacon.

Special dispensation given to Rose who had been well behaved and so was allowed a sausage for her breakfast. I leave you to decide whether she enjoyed it :

Denise is an excellent cook and goes to an enormous amount of trouble for all her guests.

I mentioned the Breakfast Menu previously.

Our choices were :

Paleo Vanilla Granola

Home-made Vanilla Granola made with nuts and seeds

and served with Berries and Greek Yoghurt

When it says home-made it doesn't mean bought from a posh shop down the road with a home-made label on the box. Denise make the granola from scratch. A real breakfast designed for those who don't want the more traditional – stunning to look at and scrumptious to eat.

Eggs Benedict – vegetarian style

Home-made English Muffin with wilted greens and

Bacon or Smoked Salmon

Served with poached eggs and dairy-free Hollandaise sauce

The same applies to the muffin as to the granola, Denise makes them herself. The spinach is grown in pots on the patio. I declined the bacon and smoked salmon. The eggs were perfect and the dairy-free Hollandaise was delicious.

Here it is :

Generous is every respect – I should have asked for a childs portion!

More to come …

A dog's eye view and a review too!

My name is Rose and I'm a Tibetan Terrier and a princess.

Here I am :

I had a weekend away recently with the folks. We went to Birkdale, near Southport. For those not familiar with this neck of the woods, going north from Liverpool in the North West you hit Crosby, then Formby, Birkdale and Southport – all on the coast. The main reason for our trip was to introduce me to Macie who lives with Tim, Cheryl and Alyce. The human lot wanted us to get on so that we could have regular beach holidays – which I love. To be on the safe side the folks booked us into a bnb that welcomed me!

I had the best time ever and made two more friends called Leroy and Ziva, here they are :

For those who are fans of NCIS and wondering - you'd be right, Leroy after Gibbs and Ziva after Ziva!

Anyway I think it's time I handed over to my Mum who'll bring you up to speed with everything else.

Welcome to Aotearoa Southport – “A slice of New Zealand in the heart of Southport”. From booking our stay to arrival I could not speak more highly. I loved the fact that Denise interviewed me about Rose and expected to see her vac records – my kinda gal. We were made so welcome by Denise and Vince.

If you want a successful business, whatever it might be then attention to detail gets you noticed.

First of all Aotearoa is a beautiful home and although the website has great photos it's better still in real life. You know how when you check into your room the posher places give you a small tin of biscuits with your coffee and tea making facilities. Rose got her own box of dog biscuits. At Aotearoa no instant coffee – a small cafetiére and sachets of ground coffee.

Before we went on our way after checking in we were asked to make our choices from the Breakfast Menu. This is not your bog standard menu.

Smoky Sweet Potato Hash

Italian Baked Eggs (Oeufs en Cocotte)

Paleo Vanilla Granola

Eggs Benedict

Special Scrambled Eggs

Healthy Full English Breakfast

More about the breakfast later.

Nothing is too much trouble. It was a warm day, iced water was provided immediately and “help yourself to more when you get back”. What's not to love.

On our return we were also given a small cool bag with an ice pack and milk for the following morning. Your every need is anticipated.

See you in the morning, sleep well.

Beer bread – hints and tips

Before you have a go at baking the bread here's the helpful stuff that the recipe doesn't mention.

I used mature cheddar cheese in the mix and unsalted butter, melted, to brush the crust.

The beauty of this recipe is that you don't handle the bread mix and so no need to knead – sorry, couldn't resist. Use a round bladed knife to bring it together.

Use a 2lb loaf tin 9x5½x3” (in old money) – 900g approximately 23x13x7cms (in new money). Grease and line the loaf tin, even if it is non-stick. You could use a cake liner – if you do then spray the liner with Fry Light sunflower oil.

Turn the loaf tin after 20 minutes to make sure you get an even crust.

Let the loaf cool!

Most people are addicted to chocolate and all things sweet – give me a thick slice of good bread spread with quality butter and a lump of cheese any day.

The loaf is quite dense, cheesy with a slightly sweet background. It might sound strange but it's excellent. I couldn't agree more with the comment at the beginning of the recipe. I thought the Soda Bread loaf was the easiest and quickest I'd ever made – this loaf is quicker still.

Just in case it had escaped your notice your “raising agents” are the yeast in the beer and in the self-raising flour.

Could just be a great idea as part of a lunch for the end of May holidays!

Beer bread photos

Before the melted butter

Fingers itching – leave to cool

Just add butter to sample – worth the wait!

You might want to have a glance at the Hints and Tips coming next before you have a go.

Bring out the beer bread!

Driving North last weekend I caught two minutes of The Kitchen Cabinet on Radio 4 – if you've never listened it's great fun. 10.30a.m. Saturday morning, hosted by Jay Rayner.

All I heard was beer bread without any yeast. Instantly my “easy bread antenna” twitched. A quick note to self to do a spot of research and what follows is the result.

Beer Bread

Serves 6-8

“The yeastiness of India Pale Ale is an inspired addition to Matt

Tebbutt's recipe for bread – perfect as part of a Ploughmans Lunch”

100g cheddar cheese

375g self-raising flour

3 tbsp caster sugar

330ml ale, such as India Pale Ale

20g butter, melted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Grate the cheddar cheese into a mixing bowl. Sift in the flour and the sugar, then mix well. Then, slowly pour in the beer, mixing as you go, until the mixture comes together to form a wet dough.

Pour the dough mixture into a greased loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the bread is risen and golden brown. To check if the bread is cooked all the way through, tap the bottom with your knuckles – it should sound hollow. During the remaining 4-5 minutes of cooking you can brush the crust of the bread with the melted butter, if preferred.

Do I have your attention? Have a look at the photos coming up – I think you'll be glad you did!

The orange drizzle to go with the cake

This is so easy and delicious - as I said previously it turns a cake into a supper or dinner party dessert.

Here's the drizzle cooling :

and again with the cake

or, if you'd prefer to give your guests a choice, serve the drizzle in small jugs

I've frozen the syrup and will, as usual, let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, what's not to like!

Whilst I'm on the subject of freezing - I promised I'd report back on the frozen Lemon Curd Crumble Bars – I defrosted them – in the fridge – and then warmed six of the bars in a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas5 for 12 minutes.

I served them with vanilla ice cream - in a word whoopee – another perfect freezer dessert of your own making!

My favourite cake – the photo guide

Take it from someone who doesn't “do cake” - this is the exception.

The final bonus – it freezes!

Thank you Ms. Roden