Back to the back catalogue … pasties

Before the damson diversion I was talking about portable/picnic food. I can't believe it's nearly September and with the unreliable weather and Autumn approaching so the opportunities for picnics and al fresco dining diminishes.

What comes next is from the back catalogue and was to be part of the portable/picnic food, fortunately it qualifies on many other levels and so ticks several boxes.

My favourite savoury guilty “take away” pleasure is a pasty and it has to be cheese, potato and onion. During lockdown the “takeaway treat” became known as a “make at home treat”!

Imagine my joy on discovering an M&S version of said treat – here's a photo :

They looked so tempting I couldn't resist. The filling wasn't generous and the tiny pieces of potato were undercooked. It may be that I was unlucky and got a “Friday afternoon pasty”.

I thought they looked very much like Cornish pasties. However Cornish are made with specific pasty pastry – puff pastry didn't work – when you got towards the crimped edge the pastry was rock solid with little or no filling – to be specific over 2cms/¾”.

Have a look :

It's rare for me to criticise M&S, believing their products to be a cut above and not objecting to paying over and above other similar versions available. In fairness I should have taken them back but with the present situation being as it is I didn't think that was particularly sensible. I've no doubt I'd have been given a replacement sadly if you'd had to go to the bother of returning you've definitely lost the thrill of a treat.

There's confusion with this pasty – it is clearly intended to be a variation on a theme of the Cornish classic which, for the reasons explained, didn't hit the spot for me. It's time to put this to the test – a marriage of pasty pastry with a cheese, potato and onion filling.

Fingers crossed!

A gin update and the final figures!

As the recipe for the damson gin said, shake every day for a week. Day 4 through to day 7 the colour becomes darker and cloudier as the sugar, fruit and alcohol does their thing!

The stash has now been “put to bed” in the cool, dark garage.

Watch this space - later on in the year it will be filtered and then left to settle in time for the Christmas holidays.

Finally the damson harvest figures … I knew it was going to be a good year but this was beyond anything I'd had in previous years. Indeed for the last couple it had been sparse and hardly worth harvesting at all.

I'm glad that I decided to keep a check on how many kilos of fruit I picked. It made sense to bag it in kilos – it made life easier whichever recipe I chose. Thank goodness I have like minded friends who were delighted to receive a small gift – the total came to 28kgs! That total does not include windfalls - I could not keep pace since the weather took over and storms and strong winds won – it would have been more.

I now have a stash of jam, ready to deliver when I can. A freezer full of roasted damsons to use as the mood takes and a supply of Asian plum sauce for stir fries too.

I love it when a plan comes together!

The final back catalogue – the Harvest Pudding photo guide

Here's a step by step guide :

the basin lined with cling film, then

lined with cake and filled with the roasted

damsons – looking good

the pudding topped with cake and wrapped

up in the cling film – you can see the syrup at

the base of the basin, just as it goes into the fridge

24 hours later – see how the fruit syrup has

absorbed into the cake

the Harvest Pudding inverted and ready

to cut

even with the first slice cut the pudding

keeps its shape

Verdict? Silence is the best comment. By the way I reserved a small jug of syrup to drizzle over the pudding. Serve with clotted or double cream and/or ice cream – whichever is your pleasure!

Next up – a gin update and the final figures.

The final back catalogue damson recipe …

The pleasure of roasting and freezing your treasure trove of roasted damsons now comes into its own.

There are recipes on the blog for a traditional Summer Pudding and an Autumn version too.

This is another great way of using the fruit either freshly roasted or from your freezer. As a guide 1kg of roasted damsons will give you 870g of fruit and delicious syrup – perfect for a roasted damson or harvest pudding - “harvest” sounds appropriate.

Harvest Pudding

Equipment

1 litre (1¾ pint) basin

plain sided cutter slightly larger than the

base of the basin – measuring 6cms in diameter

cling film and a drop of vegetable oil to wipe

the basin

Ingredients

870g of freshly roasted damsons or from your

freezer stash – defrosted

Madeira cake

I use inexpensive supermarket own brand cake

weights vary – you'll need approximately 10 slices of cake

I'd err on the side of caution and use two cakes if they weigh

265g – the cake should be sliced lengthways into quarter

inch slices and neatened at the edges

Wipe the basin with a drop of vegetable oil – use a sheet of kitchen roll, then line the basin with the cling film, ensuring that it overlaps the basin.

Cut out a circle of cake for the base and place it in the bottom of the basin. Line the rest of the basin with sliced Madeira cake, overlapping the cake which will give you a great looking pudding when turned out.

Spoon the roasted damsons into the cake lined bowl. Top with slices of cake to cover completely. Fold the cling film over the pudding to seal.

Place a slightly smaller plate or saucer on top of the basin and weigh down with a jar. Fridge it for 12-24 hours.

To serve, remove the jar and plate, unwrap the cling film and cover the basin with a large plate or bowl. Invert the pudding and peel off the cling film.

Photo guide up next!

The back catalogue – the jam and a new idea

I wasn't going to make jam from this current harvest but then I received a What's App message from my Dil (daughter in law) pleading for a jar. I couldn't refuse, it's her favourite – here it is :

different size jars to suit everyone

Can't say I'm a huge jam fan and the only time H would ever have it is on a Sunday morning on top of a slice of toast. I treated him this morning - during the week I might add - and presented him with a slice of morning toast liberally spread with the new jam and his cup of tea of course – verdict – yum, it was worth it.

Then I had another thought, hence another experiment. I had half a tub of roasted damsons in the fridge. I thought a more refined syrup or drizzle if you like, was called for. Not everyone wants whole fruits. I tipped the damsons into a fine sieve set over a jug and forced the fruit against the sides to release the syrup. I discarded the squished damsons then boxed and fridged, ready for use. Another idea for the freezer too, if you prefer.

Here's the result :

looks fab – I know I shouldn't

say so – it tastes delish

You never know when it might come in handy – poured over desserts or breakfasts!

P.s. I'm so glad I made the jam.

Next, a final back catalogue damson recipe, perfect for this time of year

Not in the back catalogue – the damson gin photos

As I said the thought of creating damson gin really appealed to H so I made sure he had everything to hand – here's the story so far :

Day 1

three ingredients, from the bottom up -

sugar, fruit and gin!

Day 2

a shake and you'll see already the colour

change – not very appealing I grant you but

hold that thought

Day 3

that's more like it – starting to look that

lovely ruby colour – you'll notice there are

two Kilner jars – we've already received an order!

The process was easy and H really enjoyed himself.

Watch this space, I'll keep you posted!

Not in the back catalogue …

… but definitely damsons.

I'm going to mention Christmas – bear with me, there's a valid reason.

I wanted to produce something different from the harvest – it does require a smidge of organisation I'm hoping it's going to be worth it. It certainly got H's attention!

There's a fashion for flavoured spirits these days. Here's my contribution, damson gin – which will be ready for Christmas!

It's not my recipe but, as you'll see, it's easy :

Damson Gin

500g damsons

250g golden caster sugar

1 litre bottle of gin (or vodka if you prefer)

Rinse and pick over the damsons, removing any leaves or stalks, pat dry place in a good quality freezer bag and freeze overnight. The following day bash the bag to break the fruits then tip into a 2 litre Kilner jar or divide between two smaller jars.

Pour in the sugar and the gin and secure with the lid. Shake well. For the following week shake each day until the sugar has dissolved then put it in a cool dark place and leave for 2/3 months.

Line a plastic sleeve with a square of muslin and strain the gin through it. Decant into clean, dry bottles, seal and label. It's ready to drink but will get better over time – it will keep for over a year – very funny!

Next – the story so far, a few photos.