A hospital drop for Easter

I've mentioned recently, a very dear friend is in hospital recovering, positively I'm relieved to say, from a stroke. My other dear friend Morag (who has gone above and beyond in keeping me posted on progress) and I have been doing hospital drops taking treats for the Staff as well as the patient.

Here's my homage to an Easter Egg Hunt that couldn't be!

Upside Down Nests

200g plain chocolate, broken into small pieces

30g golden syrup

50g unsalted butter

100g cornflakes – crushed finely

2 x 80g bags of mini eggs (25 per bag)

Petit Fours cases

Makes 40 approximately

Place the chocolate, syrup and butter into a bowl and melt over a pan of simmering water.

While this is melting, place the Petit Fours cases on a tray and then a mini egg in each case.

Whisk the chocolate mixture together until it's smooth and shiny, then remove from the heat. Add the cornflakes and mix to coat evenly.

Top each egg with a teaspoon of the chocolate mixture – I used a short handled measuring spoon aided by a cocktail stick – it gives you control of the mixture and you won't overfill. Place in the fridge to set.

The treat needed to be easy to “pop in the mouth” for the Staff whilst on a break, grabbing a quick brew.

Here's the result …

The Chocolate Chip Scones – the testers' verdict

I didn't expect the reaction I received – a resounding thumbs up. My testers have a reputation for being honest – like it or not! What they loved most was that they weren't sweet. It's the balance of a warmed scone with a sweet jam and cream of your choice.

I did “test run” them at home and H loved his unexpected treat although he's not keen on cream so good quality butter and jam hit his spot. There's no doubt that what matters is good quality ingredients, plain chocolate and organic cocoa in particular. I always use Green and Black's Organic Cocoa, it never fails. If you're not a fan of plain chocolate you could use 50/50 plain and milk.

It's important that these scones are served warm. They will freeze which might be a good idea of you want “chocolate control” – defrost – which will take a couple of hours at room temperature and then warm in a pre-heated oven (150fan/170c/Gas 3) for 5 minutes, split and serve.

Have a look :

a Chocolate Chip Scone

warmed and split with a side of jam and clotted cream

a loaded treat!

A final tip – don't be tempted to add the cocoa to your ingredients without sifting!

Next up – the hospital drop for Easter ...

A cream tea … and Chocolate Chip Scones!

This is a bit of fun and an experiment – a variation on a theme of a cream tea for the chocolate lovers.

Chocolate Chip Scones

500g plain flour (1lb 2oz)

1 tsp salt

2 tsps bicarb

4½ tsps cream of tartar

25g cocoa

125g (5oz) unsalted butter

100g of plain chocolate drops – minimum

50% cocoa solids

300ml milk

1 large egg, beaten

5cms/2” fluted cutter

cocoa in a small ramekin to dip the cutter

to prevent sticking plus extra to dust your

working surface

2 baking sheets, lined with baking parchment

Pre-heat oven 200fan/220c/Gas 7

Sift the flour, salt, bicarb, cream of tartar and cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until you've got breadcrumbs, add the chocolate chips then add the milk – all of it – mix with a round bladed knife, roughly and then tip onto a working surface, dusted with cocoa and knead lightly so that you have a dough. Divide the dough in half, leaving half in the bowl. You can use a rolling pin or your hands to round and flatten until 4cms/1½” deep. Remember to dip your cutter into the ramekin of cocoa before cutting, repeat with the remaining dough.

If you use the size of cutter in the recipe you'll get 24 scones.

Place the scones on the baking parchment, then brush with beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes until risen and chocolatey brown.

As usual I sent these scones out to my trusted testers …

The doorstep treat verdict …

Just before the verdict, here's a copy of the delivery note :

The Birthday Menu - delivery note!

Cream Cheese & Cashew Nut Paté

with soda bread

The bread was made this morning – it's meant

to be dense and hopefully you'll enjoy with the

paté – any leftovers are very good toasted -

with loads of butter of course!

Cheese, Potato and Onion pie

I've lightly baked the pastry lid – pre-heat oven

on 180fan/200c/Gas 6 to warm – cover the pie

with foil – it'll need 20 minutes, then remove the foil

for a final 5 minutes

with coleslaw

Flourless Chocolate Cake

if you prefer soft, warm and squidgy cake then

microwave for 20 seconds

with Raspberry Coulis and clotted cream

The verdict is in!

“...we had some of your bread yesterday … it was yummy! Looking forward to the feast tonight! Thank you again for such a thoughtful present.

Thank you again for the dinner. Every part of it was amazing, so tasty and moreish I doubt I'll eat for a very long time. The paté is gorgeous! The slaw was the best I've had … great mayo! The pie cooked perfectly and we all kept tucking in for more. The dessert was divine – with the addition of the clotted cream which is my favourite, thank you so much.

The next evening … we finished the chocolate cake tonight – it's the gift that keeps on giving! Yummy! X”

Phew – and breathe!

Which brings me to the whole point of this exercise … and the comment I made at the beginning :

Remember the days when we had a social life and family and friends came to visit? I hardly dare say this but, if all goes accordingly to plan, may be we'll be able to cook for our family and friends again – do you remember how? I'm not sure I do so the birthday menu is a dress rehearsal!

In the overall scheme of things it doesn't matter what you cook – it's being with your nearest and dearest that matters but you'll still want to eat and you'll want it to be delicious and effortless – which is why I've illustrated how you can do that. When I chose the menu options it was tailored entirely around my friend's favourite dishes. I now realise that the only element that required attention, other than placing on the table, was the pie – all you need to do is set your timer!

Whatever you choose to serve think about yourself too – don't stress – use your time between now then to create your favourite food. If you plan ahead not only will everything work superbly you'll be right where you should be – smack in the middle with everyone else and not doing a very good impression of a piece of chewed string - or a wet lettuce if you prefer.

If we've learnt anything in the last year it's life is too short ...

Coming up – a cream tea but not as you know it!

The “to do” list

Here's my cunning plan aka “to do” list :

Print out all the recipes and keep them in order.

Go through each recipe and make a shopping list checking pantry and store cupboard as I go – there will be two lists – a “buy now” list and by that I mean non-perishable ingredients and staples and the other - 2/3 days before the treats are due for delivery - for the fresh and perishable ingredients, ready to begin cooking.

I know the date of my friend's birthday, what I'm not sure of is when she'd like her treats delivered – top of the “to do” list is ask for a delivery date!

“Cook ahead” stuff. I can make the dessert and the pastry now – by “now” I mean two weeks ahead and into the freezer. Note to self – it's all very well cooking and freezing ahead – you have to remember to take it out of the freezer in time. This is where a daily planner comes into its own.

The birthday falls on a Wednesday and I now have a delivery date – Tuesday after lunch (the day before her birthday). The previous Friday is when the daily planner begins and it's up next.

The daily planner …

 … and the countdown begins!

Friday

final shopping for fresh ingredients

Sunday

bake the jacket potatoes – cool, peel and cut into small

cubes, bag and fridge

sauté the onions and add the mustard – cool, box and fridge

grate the cheeses, bag and fridge

Monday

shred the cabbage, carrot and finely slice the

spring onions

make the mayo

make the paté

complete the pie filling and place in your

dish of choice ready for the lid, cover and return

to the fridge

mise for the bread, cover

pm – take the dessert and the pastry from

the freezer and place in the fridge

Tuesday morning – bright and early!

make and bake the bread

roll out the pastry, add to the pie filling, egg

wash and then bake for 20 minutes only, the pie

will be reheated before actual serving – set aside to cool

garnish the paté with chopped chives

combine the slaw ingredients, add the mayo

then adjust seasonings, box and fridge

The other thing I had to think about was transporting the treats - thinking “outside the box” has now become thinking “inside a box” – except the box is a cool bag with an ice pack and the brown paper packages tied up with string are now sealed boxes without string!

All that remains is to pack the cool bag – it may be stating the obvious but the largest and heaviest item goes in first, on top of flat ice packs. I layered each tier with clean cardboard to give support.

A small tip – I reverted to the original menu and the recipes I printed out - the daily planner helped too. I used a highlighter (a different coloured pen would do) to mark off as I packed the bag – I checked it twice! My final addition was a note of how long the pie would need in the oven to finish off.

Oh – I included a pot of clotted cream to complete the dessert.

Time to go … verdict up next!

The birthday menu choice

“Wow, this all looks amazing! I have read and read and read them again and Menu 2 keeps jumping out at me! Please can I opt for that – it's such a wonderful idea!”

Menu 2 it is – it will be an absolute pleasure!

I sent the original email and the menus well in advance, a month ahead - deliberately, it gives me time to consider and plan my order of work and then cooking. I make no apology for it sounding like a military operation – that's because I am totally out of practice!

Remember the days when we had a social life and family and friends came to visit? I hardly dare say this but, if all goes accordingly to plan, may be we'll be able to cook for our family and friends again – do you remember how? I'm not sure I do so the birthday menu is a dress rehearsal!

Here's Menu 2 with my notes on each course :

Menu 2

Cream Cheese & Cashew Nut Paté

with soda bread

the paté should be as fresh as possible

so made the day before delivery, leaving only

the garnish of freshly cut chives to sprinkle

on the day

the soda bread is home-made and should be

baked on the day of delivery – looks like I'll be

up early!

Cheese, Potato and Onion pie

with coleslaw (using home-made mayo)

the pie has several elements :

baked jacket potatoes

finely diced onions, sautéed in butter

and rapeseed oil with Dijon mustard

grated cheeses – Mature Cheddar, Red

Leicester and Gruyere

each element can be prepped ahead

flaky pastry lid – pastry made ahead and

frozen

the coleslaw has a simple base, finely

shredded white cabbage, fine julienned carrots

and finely sliced spring onions – prep ahead,

bag separately, then fridge

the home-made mayo is the magical

ingredient and can be made the day before

delivery ready to incorporate and add final

seasonings, then box

Flourless Chocolate Cake

with Raspberry Coulis

dessert is easy – the cake benefits from being

made ahead, portioned and frozen

and the coulis can be frozen too

Me and my big mouth! Suddenly I'm alarmed at the thought of pulling this together - what began with “treats” has now morphed into a three course supper!

Next up … the “to do” list