Easter treats … Fresh and from frozen

Here are the two loaves fresh out of the oven :

Here's one of them sliced and ready to be devoured!

My immediate instinct is to slice, butter and consume – cook's privilege surely!

However – stoically I resisted and in the interests of all things practical - I also foil wrapped a loaf and popped into the freezer.

Here's that loaf, defrosted, sliced, toasted (on a grill please note – not in a pop-up toasted) and buttered liberally. It sliced perfectly and so clearly does not deteriorate after freezing.

The verdict – not that I am in any way biased you understand – it was lovely – the ability to freeze the loaf is an added bonus – you can use one loaf and freeze the other.

Here's the veggie option I mentioned - top a toasted slice and add mushrooms in balsamic :

Mushrooms in Balsamic

Serves 4 as a topping

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves of garlic or paste

pinch of salt4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

60g shaved parmesan

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook on high for 5 minutes until browned. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and pour over the mushrooms. Stir until syrupy – 1-2 minutes – toast your slices of Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf and top with the mushrooms, garnish with shaved parmesan.

Variety is the spice of life!

I promised Easter treats and so ...

… lets do breakfast – or brunch if you prefer.

What about a Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf – a thick slice, toasted – topped with a poached egg and then the world really is your lobster – bacon on the side – sausage too. For another veggie idea you could have Mushrooms on Muffin Loaf.

Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf

170ml vegetable oil

1 large egg

284ml buttermilk

70ml milk

500g self raising flour

1 tsp English mustard powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

150 mature cheddar cheese, grated

bunch of spring onions – or 6 if you want to be precise

200g Crumbly Lancashire cheese, crumbled

or Lancashire Tasty if you can get hold of it

Kit required

You have a choice – one x 900g loaf tin for one loaf

or

two x 450g for two loaves

You can either grease your tin with oil and then

line with baking paper overlapping so that it's easy

to remove

or

You can use cake liners instead

Pre-heat your oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

Mix together the wet ingredients – vegetable oil, egg, buttermilk and milk – ideally in a large jug.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl – flour, mustard powder, cayenne and salt and then add the grated cheddar (reserve a handful to sprinkle over the top of the loaves) and spring onions.

Add the wet to the dry together with the Crumbly Lancashire taking care not to overwork the mixture – divide into the two loaf tins and top with the reserved grated cheddar. Bake for 65/70 minutes until golden on the top. Push a skewer through the middle – it should be clean when removed. You can cover with foil once golden. Leave to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from the tins and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Hold that thought ...

Easter treats here we come!

I realise it seems like a long way off but if I'm going to give you any ideas for treats I have to get them to you in time for you to shop!

There are heaps of “fridge cakes” out there – I've got several that I use all the time but it's good to try something different.

Chocolate Fridge Cake

150g ginger biscuits

100g milk chocolate

100g plain chocolate

100g golden syrup

75g unsalted butter

75g dried apricots, chopped

50g raisins

50g pecans, finely chopped

25g Rice Krispies

Line a 20x20cm shallow tin with clingfilm enough so that it overhangs the sides (or a foil tray without the clingfilm).

Crush the biscuits into rubble, not fine crumb – I use a food bag, clipped and roll gently with a rolling pin.

Melt the two chocolates, syrup and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. As usual, make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't come into contact with the water.

Mix the biscuits, apricots, raisins, pecans and Rice Krispies and then stir into the melted chocolate mixture. Tip it into your tin or tray and level as best you can.

Leave to cool and then place in the fridge for 2 hours to set. Turn out, peeling off the clingfilm if you've used it – if using a foil tray you can peel the tray away from the cake and it ready to cut into 12 squares or smaller “pop in the mouth” pieces if you prefer.

I added an additional 50g of chopped pistachios in the cake shown and used cranberries instead of raisins. The world is your lobster – use digestives or hobnobs, use cranberries or pistachios. This will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.

Yes – I am kidding!

For those out there like me, who absolutely loath ginger in sweet dishes, I have to concede that this “cake” passed with flying colours – even I enjoyed it.

The class were delighted – they went home with bags of bite sized bits of “cake” and an individual foil dish of cake too, ready to pop into the fridge to set.

Random bits and pieces – bringing you up to speed!

I said I'd let you know what Susie thought about the “Lemon Meringue and Ice twice” - well it made her giggle so that's one tick – she then took a photograph, another tick and finally nothing left in the dish, oh and by the way the photograph is for her Birthday Memory Box.

This morning's weather forecast is awful – decidedly soggy and my run is cancelled. Never let it be said that I waste any time. Normally I leave the house at 7am – it's now 9.15am and there are two tea loaves in the oven – I must have known - I soaked the fruit yesterday. There's a chicken in the slow cooker and the prawns are defrosting for the rendang curry that's for supper tonight.

Do I need to get out more? May be but I'll be glad I had something to show for my messed up morning!

Did a class this week and thought you'd be interested to know that I made a batch of the Piquant Pinwheels and froze them ahead of the game. I demonstrated making them from scratch and whilst doing so I popped the frozen pinwheels in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 for 10 minutes. It's my experience that my students enjoy sampling an appetiser with their glass of wine so I like to feed them as soon as possible! Another tip – when you bake the frozen pinwheels place them upside down on the tray – worked a treat and I served them with honey roasted beetroot, cold, on the side. For lovers of hot and cold side by side yes please.

My favourite sentence from the comments book was “Lovely way of learning to cook – watch Marion doing the work – then eat the end results.”

Most people love chocolate based desserts and so - with half a thought towards Easter and chocolate treats - what follows is the first of a few ideas.

Lunch after the rugby – on the day

Take your puff pastry sheet out of the fridge 30 minutes before required to allow it to warm up – by doing this the pastry won't tear.

You will also need 1 egg, beaten.

Using a slotted spoon remove the steak from the slow cooker and set aside in your pie dish. Drizzle 3 to 4 ladles of the gravy over the steak - you should find that it is a good consistency for a pie filling. In my opinion you then need extra gravy for the table and here it becomes a matter of how you like your gravy. My aim is to add a covering on the steak and then thicken the remainder ready to serve in a jug at the table.

If you wish to thicken your remaining gravy then slake 2 tsps of cornflour with water, bring your gravy to the boil, reduce to a simmer and add the cornflour gradually – stirring continuously, you'll achieve the thickness you prefer. Technical term of the day “slake” - the mixing of a thickening agent i.e. cornflour (or arrowroot) with water. You can leave your thickened gravy in the slow cooker until you're ready to re-heat and transfer to your serving jug later. Keep it cool and covered.

Now for the mushrooms :

250g (1 punnet) of chestnut mushrooms, trimmed

and quartered

drop of rapeseed oil and knob of unsalted butter

salt and black pepper

glug of dry sherry or red wine

Adding dry sherry or dry red wine to mushrooms brings out the flavour – you don't need to drown them in alcohol. For guidance - in my kitchen a glug is approximately 25ml.

Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan and add the mushrooms, season. Fry the mushrooms on a medium heat for 2 minutes and then add the dry sherry or red wine. Cook for a further 2 minutes allowing the sherry or wine to reduce. Add the mushrooms to the slow cooked steak and gravy. Your filling is now complete and ready for its pastry lid.

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

Unroll your pastry and cut to size of pie dish. Brush the edges with beaten egg and “glue” to the top of the filling. Egg wash the top of the pie and bake for 30 minutes until puffed and golden.

Here's what the pie filling looks like :

and the finished product!

Definitely up there on the easy list.

Suggestions for what to serve with the pie :

Do you love cauliflower cheese but half the family or friends love one but not the other? Here's my answer – whilst your pie and potatoes are cooking steam a whole cauliflower and serve it just as is. This is where your efforts are rewarded making the Alfredo sauce yesterday - warm it through and serve in individual jugs if you want to be cheffy or a large jug otherwise – everyone is happy!

If you want an endorsement which I appreciate you may think is biased - all I can say is that my husband “H” is honest – good or bad. Our friends liked it post rugby and the following evening I gave H and Susie Q a choice for supper – they both chose the pie - H would never opt to eat the same meal two days running – I think my case rests as the legal eagles say!

Lunch after the rugby … or

...what to do the day before you've friends arriving to watch sport of your choice (in my case it's rugby) – and you're serving lunch afterwards – you don't want to be working in the kitchen and miss all the fun – my answer - steak and mushroom pie.

This pie can be adapted to suit your own requirements – add onion, omit the mushrooms, add garlic - whatever floats your boat.

The beauty of this recipe is that by slow cooking the pie base ahead the flavours are enhanced as with a curry or a chilli.

The day before – prep your pie filling

Steak & Mushroom Pie

1kg lean braising or stewing steak – as good

a quality as you can afford cut into good size

chunks

salt and black pepper

glug of rapeseed oil

250g passata

2 x beef stock pots

Puff pastry sheet for the pie lid – for tomorrow

In a large frying pan heat the rapeseed oil and seal and season the steak in batches and set aside in your slow cooker. Don't put too much steak in the pan – you'll end up with grey unappetising steak that you've stewed! Add the stock pots to your frying pan and melt, then add the passata and mix well. Add 150 ml boiling water to loosen a little. Tip the gravy into your slow cooker with the steak. At this point you need to check the liquid level – you may need to add a drop more boiling water – your steak should be just covered.

Slow cook for 4 hours.

Turn off your slow cooker and leave it covered in a cool place. Overnight is brilliant. In readiness for tomorrow you'll need a pie dish 23x23cms – suitable for four generous portions.

Whilst you're at it and referring to my theory of cooking as much ahead as possible without any hassle – can I remind you of my meal planning stuff – and suggest you bake some potatoes – how many depends on how many you're serving. Perfect though to peel and cube the cooked potatoes and sauté tomorrow whilst your pie is cooking – meal ready in 30 minutes! In any event baked potatoes never go to waste.

I realise that this may seem completely out of whack but can I suggest you make an Alfredo sauce too – double the recipe would be good - all will be revealed. Leave it in the saucepan when cooked – cool, cover and fridge.

See you tomorrow!

A little savoury treat

Here's my latest contribution for you – it can be whatever you'd like it to be – an appetiser - a starter – or larger as part of a supper :

Piquant Pinwheels

125g diced chorizo

40g grated Parmesan

40g grated Gruyere

100g grated mature Cheddar

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley or

1 tbsp dried

black pepper

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 puff pastry sheet

1 egg, beaten

Before you begin take your pastry out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature.

You'll also need a large baking tray – 32x23 cms approximately.

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

Fry the chorizo gently in a medium frying pan so that it surrenders its delicious oil and begins to crisp. Remove the chorizo and set aside in a bowl, then add the onion and fry gently for 2/3 minutes and add to the chorizo. At this stage I would suggest that you put both the chorizo and onion through a sieve to remove any excess oil – this is to avoid a soggy bottom! Reserve the oil. Leave to cool.

Add the mustard to the chorizo and onion and mix, then the cheeses and parsley add a twist or three of black pepper. I wouldn't add any salt since there's plenty in the cheeses and the chorizo.

On a chopping board with a damp j cloth underneath to stop it slipping, uroll your pastry lengthways and keep it on its paper. Spread your chorizo/cheese mixture over the pastry sheet leaving 3cm on the edge furthest away from you – egg wash that edge. Now for the brave bit. Using the paper roll into a large “sausage” using the egg washed edge to glue it into place. Egg wash the “sausage” and trim each end.

Cut the “sausage” in half and then again until you have 12 portions. When you're cutting do not use a “sawing” motion cut straight through – otherwise you'll tear the pastry.

Place each pastry on its side on the baking sheet so you can see the filling and the pinwheel shape. Egg wash and/or use the reserved oil to glaze, then bake for 20 minutes. Check after 15.

Here's a photo or two :

                                      

Smells yummy – hope you enjoy!