On location in SC - The final class!

I mentioned earlier that my friend said “I have to make a loaf before you leave so you can watch me”. Well, today's the day!

A few basics before we begin, get yourself organised and do your “mise en place” - it means literally “put in place” so, weigh out your ingredients and make sure you've all the utensils you'll need and, most importantly, don't forget to turn on the oven.

Time to road test those scales.

I can do no better than to show my student in action and his finished product!

A very competent baker!

On location in SC - The Sunday pudding

I'm a great fan of mixing recipes and this is a perfect example. Another plus – you can make the base and topping separately and freeze and not necessarily on the same day! Note to self – if you do freeze the toffee apple base then make sure you do so in smaller pots or bags. You can then pull out however many portions you need and assemble rather than waste it – in your dreams!

Toffee Apple Crumble

Pre-heat oven 190c/170fan/Gas 5

For the toffee apple base

6-8 large Cox's apples, peeled, cored and sliced

115g unsalted butter

125g soft dark brown sugar

1 orange, zest and juice

A slug of Amaretto - optional

Place the apples, half the unsalted butter, the soft dark brown sugar, orange zest and juice (with Amaretto if you wish) into a large frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until tender.

For the crumble topping

150g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

250g self raising flour

150g demerara sugar

200g pecans, a mixture of finely

chopped and others left larger

In a large mixing bowl rub the butter into the flour – this is one occasion where using your fingers is better than a mixer – you want a texture to the rubbed in crumb, not fine sand. Add the sugar and the nuts and set aside.

Serve in individual ramekins or make one large crumble. Bake for 25 minutes.

The toffee apple base is also delicious as a topping for home-made vanilla ice cream.

In truth I can't remember where the recipe for the toffee apple base came from but the crumble topping is taken from Nigella Lawson's “How to be a Domestic Goddess” - Plum and Pecan Crumble.

On location in SC - The Sunday roast.

I'm not going to recite the lunch menu. I am however going to mention a crucial part of probably the most famous marriage of all - Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Lots of people struggle with it and resort to ready-made versions or buy a ready-made batter mix. There's nothing wrong with either but I would be remiss if I didn't give you my two pennyworth.

I've used the following version for a long while and, pardon the pun, “if it ain't broke don't fix it”. It's by Barney Desmazery and came from Good Food magazine, February 2009.

Makes 8 large or 24 small puddings

with tins to fit your choice

140g plain flour

4 eggs

200ml milk

salt and pepper

vegetable or sunflower oil to drizzle

into the tins

Heat the oven to 230c/210fan/Gas 8 – in other words very hot! Place the tin(s) in the oven to heat through.

To make the batter tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and beat in the eggs until smooth. Add the milk gradually and beat until lump free. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the batter into a jug then remove the hot tins from the oven. Pour the batter into the holes. Place the tin(s) back into the oven and leave completely alone for 20/25 minutes until they have puffed up and browned. Serve immediately.

My two pennyworth

Any leftovers – I know, very funny – freeze them when they've cooled – will keep for one month. Pop straight from the freezer into a pre-heated oven, as above, for 5 minutes.

An individual muffin tin works really well for deeper, larger puddings.

I make my batter first thing in the morning, to use later in the day. I keep it fridged and remove so that it can reach room temperature before cooking - stir before use.

This recipe never fails – just make sure you set your timer and resist the urge to open the oven door!

P.s. Memory Lane - my Dad never ate Yorkshire pudding with meat – he loved it for afters drizzled with either jam or golden syrup – a habit leftover from when there wasn't enough meat to go round.

On location in SC - Friday night is burger night!

It's not unusual to have a houseful of guests and this weekend my friend's son-in-law has friends arriving and they're off to the Carolina Panthers game tomorrow. The only problem is that they arrive at different times and from different directions – some to the airport, some by road – but both are subject to delay.

All the more reason to make sure we have food ready and my suggestion is burgers – I can make them ahead of the game.

If I had a pound, or in this case dollar, for every burger I've made over the years I'd be a rich girl! Here's the tried and tested recipe which, by the way, makes excellent meatballs too.

Burgers

Makes 5 x 100g burgers

500g minced beef, pork or turkey

*salt and black pepper

*garlic – either 2 tsps of paste or 2 cloves, crushed

*mixed herbs or garlic italian seasoning – a generous sprinkle

*half a tsp of chilli

*heaped tbsp of tomato paste

*1 egg

sprinkle of plain flour

Rapeseed or vegetable oil for shallow frying

Place the mince in a large mixing bowl then add the remaining ingredients marked *, mix well. At this point your mixture may be too wet. If it is, sprinkle a little plain flour over the mixture and fold in gently.

The easiest way of making uniform burgers is to weigh whatever amount you wish – 50g or 100g depending on size of appetites - with damp hands. Using a large frying pan, heat the oil gently and seal the burgers on both sides.

At this point you have a choice, you can continue to cook the burgers in the pan or you can transfer to an oven-proof dish and pop into a pre-heated oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 20 minutes.

Serve on burger buns or a brioche version, toasted – add a cheese slice for a cheeseburger with dill pickles and salsa. Wrap in a square of greaseproof paper and a serviette – your very own fast food!

I made 12 burgers of various sizes to suit all appetites and they all disappeared. What worked really well was that each person could take whatever they wished. You know what it's like when you've been travelling - you are absolutely ravenous and whatever you serve it needs to be quick!

A change of arrangements and a marriage proposal!

We are off out for dinner this evening so no planning required nor a shopping list today – I'll just have to enjoy the view and do the “mind, body, spirit” thing!

The one thing I do love about being on holiday in such a wonderful place is that you relax more than ever.  There's no panic or rush to get up and go – whenever will do - it's a really good place to be.

Just when you thought it was safe ... a message received means that our dinner out has to be re-arranged.  Hmmm back to the drawing board, as they say.

A rummage through the fridge reveals a plump pork tenderloin.  Thinks ….. apples from The Apple Man ….. cider or Calvados …. cream.  

The conversation went something like ...”what would you say if I suggested pork tenderloin with apples, cider and a cream sauce for supper?”  Response … “I'd say get a divorce and marry me”.  I took that to mean yes!

So, here's the recipe :

Pork fillet and apples

One pork tenderloin

2 sharp dessert apples – peeled, cored

and sliced

drop of Canola oil

generous knob of unsalted butter

salt and black pepper

sprinkle of thyme 

200ml of stock – chicken or vegetable

Trim the pork tenderloin – take off any fat and sinew and cut into medallions of a similar size.  Using a large frying pan with a lid and on a medium heat add a drop of Canola oil and a knob of butter.  Add the sliced apples and soften for 5 minutes – set aside.  Add your medallions and salt, pepper and seal on both sides.  Add a sprinkle of thyme.  Add 200ml of stock and turn the heat to low and let the medallions simmer for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat.  Reserve the stock and juices in a jug, cover and fridge until ready to make the sauce.  Place a lid on the pan with the pork medallions and apples - leave in a cool place until you're ready to make your sauce and serve.

 Calvados or cider cream sauce

15g unsalted butter

15g plain flour

1 tsp garlic paste or 1 clove, crushed

generous glug of Calvados or cider

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

200ml stock

300ml double cream

salt and black pepper

Using a medium saucepan melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk.  Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – add the garlic paste and mustard and then, on a high heat, add the Calvados or cider – cook on high for 1-2 mins.  Add the cold stock straight into the sauce and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 10 minutes.  Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes and tip into the frying pan covering the medallions and apples.  Ready to gently re-heat when you wish to serve.

The sauce can be made ahead.  If your stock isn't chilled it's not the end of the world!

I'd forgotten my friend's favourite meat is pork and in particular tenderloin – definitely the favourite dish so far, especially, apparently, the sauce.

Please add to the recipe list!

The Botanical Gardens

Welcome to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in Belmont, North Carolina.

I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea, mooching around gardens – to be honest I can't say it's top of my list but, this place has lots of different bits and pieces on offer.   There's a Pavilion boasting a copper roof and from the inside the dome is stunning:

Outside there's a woodland trail, all types of different gardens, fountains and, last but by no means least an Orchid Conservatory.  It also makes a difference if you have a purpose – i.e. looking for ideas for the various projects my friend has in mind – two heads are definitely better than one and more fun too!

We were visiting in October so for the most part a lot of the plants were at the end of their season but it was definitely still worth the visit.

Our last port of call was the Orchid Conservatory.  Confession time – I can't say I'm wild about orchids or conservatories for that matter but every now and then you get taken by surprise.

I am struggling to find an expression worthy of this vision – it's beyond beautiful - plain and simple.  If you ever get the opportunity to pay a visit and all the more so if you're not particularly interested in flora it will blow your mind.

I'm not going to prattle on – here are three photos which I hope will do it some justice.

Breathtaking!

The Birthday Gift and the mid week loaf

I don't think I've mentioned that my friend has just had a birthday.  My gift is a choice of dinner out or I'll cook whatever he'd like.  Ponder and let me know …. ok, pondered – eat-in!

Before we head out today I promised myself I'd make another loaf of soda bread – just to make sure that it wasn't just good luck on the previous occasion.

Well how about that – another success, so am more than confident now that my friend will be able to produce his own as and when.

 

A further ponder and the birthday gift will be Sunday lunch of roast beef with all the trimmings.  I've suggested too that dessert could be a toffee apple crumble with the vanilla ice cream – celebrating the fantastic local apples purchased yesterday!

A spot of garden planning today prior to a day out visiting Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens  tomorrow.  If you're a lover of gardens and plants then there's no point in visiting anywhere without making sure you're armed with your own ideas for areas you want to work on.  For example the front of the house is as big as the back :

 

Note to self :  don't forget your phone – to take photos and a small pad and pen, not to mention comfortable shoes!