Tag: cooking

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Exciting Times…

We can only apologise (once again) for the lack of blog posts recently – the days just don’t seem to be long enough! We did think you’d like to be kept updated though, so here’s a look at all the exciting events that we’ve got planned for the next few months…

stitchandbitch

lunchisserved

book.talk

italian.night

 

Dates for your diary:

Thursday 6th October – Stitch and Bitch

Wednesday 19th October – Irish Night

Friday 28th October – Halloween Trick or Treat

Thursday 3rd November – Toiletry Gift Making Workshop

Wednesday 23rd November – British Winter Staples Night

Details to follow…

If you see an event that takes your fancy, give us a call on 01840213442 to book. If you’ve got an event, group or meeting and are in need of a venue, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help. We’d love to see you all, so don’t be shy and come along!

 

 

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Sri Lankan Coconut and Dark Rum Snowball Truffles

We know everyone’s probably sick of it by now but nevertheless this week’s recipe is Christmas themed. (At least it’s only once a year!) These deliciously tempting truffles are great for the run up to Christmas, on the day or even as a special gift. Without further ado, Sri Lankan coconut and dark rum snowball truffles…

Ingredients:

200g Sri Lankan coconut chocolate

100g clotted cream (being from Cornwall, we always recommend Rodda’s!)

1 – 2 tbsp dark rum

50 – 100g desiccated coconut

 

Method:

The great thing about these truffles is that there’s no need for tempering or any of that fancy shmancy stuff. Just microwave your chocolate for 20 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until it’s all melted. Then add in your clotted cream and rum, and stir until it makes a beautiful creamy mixture. Refrigerate until it’s set hard enough to handle – usually around an hour. Scoop up a teaspoon at a time and roll into balls (you might want to wear some gloves for this – it can get messy!). Once you’ve formed your truffles, pop them into a bowl of desiccated coconut and roll until they’re covered.

Whether you choose to box them up as a gift or eat them straight away, these will knock your socks off! If you want to keep them for a later date, remember to keep them in the fridge – no one likes gone off cream… Enjoy!

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Make Your Own Christmas Compilation

I don’t know where the time keeps going, but it’s definitely happening a bit too fast for my liking! Christmas is just around the corner now and the money spent is already adding up – so here is our compilation of all things ‘make your own’ to keep Christmas cheap and still beautiful!

We’ll start with the all important gifts – some of these are our very own recipes and some come from some very clever people with more time on their hands than I have! Have a gander and give some a go yourself:

It’s a scarf, but with pockets!

This one takes a bit more time, but it’s so beautiful – a leather messenger bag.

Ministry of silly walks, in clock form.

Bath milk bags.

Soothing hand balm.

Bath salts – so easy and they can come in any smell you fancy!

Bath vinegars – a nice jar or bottle can really make a difference to this one.

Lightbulb terrarium, does it get much more creative?

Beautiful wood burned boxes. If you’ve got the tools and the time, these make the most gorgeous, unique gift.

This elegant, delicate votive candle holder is just so beautiful, I want a room full of them!

 

It’s all well and good having gifts sorted, but it never really feels like Christmas until the decorations are up! Here are our favourite DIY decorations:

Double lattice ornaments

Christmas tatting patterns

We used this video to make the decorations for our shop this year – they’re rather stunning!

Super intricate, ever so delicate, paper snowflakes

If you’re looking for more ideas, here’s 17 easy peasy decorations you could give a go

 

And of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a drink or two! Have a go at some of these Chrimbo cocktails:

Still our favourite, the Chocolate Alexander

A classic with a twist, Appleberry Mulled Wine

We love a bit of cardamom, but we’d never have thought to put it in a martini! This bitter orange and cardamom martini is just to die for.

Cranberry mojito, tastes as good as it looks!

It’s Christmas, of course that means there has to be eggnog…

And in case you need something a bit more warming, hot chocolate and baileys – enough said.

 

There you go – everything you could possibly need to get you through another Christmas (or at least get you tipsy enough to not care!)

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Recipe – Cherry and Lavender Tea Smoked Chicken

Making the same meals over and over again, no matter how delicious, can quickly turn cooking into a chore. I’m a big fan of keeping it interesting with something a little bit different, and our new tea range gave me the chance to do just that. This recipe is extremely easy and unbelievably delicious – with the added bonus of sounding impressive!

smoked.chicken

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

1tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp black pepper (crushed or ground)

1 tbsp smoked paprika

3 tbsp Demerara sugar (any brown sugar will work just as well)

½ tbsp salt

4 tbsp brown rice

15 tsp cherry and lavender tea

 

Method:

– Start by mixing in a bowl the olive oil, thyme, black pepper, paprika, salt and 1 tbsp of sugar. Stir thoroughly and then coat the chicken breasts in the mixture and leave to one side. This can be done the day before and left in the fridge overnight, but will work just as well done just before cooking.

– Double line a wok or large saucepan with foil. Mix together the brown rice, cherry and lavender tea and the remaining brown sugar and add to the bottom of the foil. Cover with another piece of scrunched up foil.

– Put the wok on a high heat, until the pan starts to visibly smoke. Immediately turn the pan down to the lowest possible heat setting, place the chicken on top of the scrunched foil and tightly cover the top of the wok with a lid or more tin foil.

– Leave the covered chicken cooking on a low setting for 30 mins, then check with a thermometer that it is hot all the way through, If not, leave cooking and check again every 5 minutes until cooked. Take off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

I served this chicken on a bed of green leaves with a cherry salad dressing and potato and chorizo gratin on the side. But be adventurous – it will also make for a great summer salad with cherries, a gourmet sandwich for lunches or even with a Thai noodle salad!

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Recipe – Lavender Drizzle Cake

With summer finally looking like it might be on its way (fingers crossed!), it’s time to move away from the heavy, chocolate-based comfort foods and onto something a bit lighter. I’d like to say healthier but I have too much of a sweet tooth for that! This recipe is a basic Madeira cake base, always a summer favourite, but (as always) with our own special twist. The lavender glaze compliments the subtle lemon of the Madeira for a sweet, summery treat. Anyone who’s been following our recipe blog will have worked out by now that I adore Nigella Lawson, so of course it’s her Madeira cake recipe that I started with! I have adapted the cook times slightly so that I could make individual cakes, but if you want a traditional loaf cake then Nigella’s is the recipe to go with.

Ingredients:

For the cake:

240g butter or margarine

200g sugar (Nigella recommends caster sugar, but if you’re lazy like me then granulated works fine)

grated zest and juice of one lemon

3 eggs

300g flour

2 tsp baking powder

6 small ramekins or 1 loaf tin

For the glaze:

6 heaped tbsp. icing sugar

3 tbsp lavender syrup

cold water

 

Method:

– Line either your ramekins or loaf tin with baking parchment.

– Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170C

– In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add in the lemon zest and mix well.

– Add the eggs one at a time. Adding a tablespoon of the flour with each egg will help it to mix in better without curdling.

– Mix in the rest of the flour, stirring gently so as not to lose the air from the mixture.

– Add the lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

– Put into your preheated oven and bake for roughly 45 minutes if in ramekins or 1 hour if in a loaf tin. I start checking the cakes about 20 minutes before this, to avoid burning. You’ll know they’re done when a cake tester comes out clean.

– Put your cakes to one side to cool whilst you get on with the lavender glaze.

– In a bowl, mix together the icing sugar and lavender syrup. I use a fork for this to avoid any sugary lumps.

– Once the icing has formed a paste, add the cold water a teaspoon at a time. Stop when you have a relatively thin, runny icing.

– Before your cakes have completely cooled, turn them out onto a wire rack. Once they are cold, cover in the lavender glaze and leave to harden.

This really is a super easy recipe (like everything I make) and guaranteed to impress!

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Recipe – Chocolate, Orange and Raspberry Cookies

Everyone loves a biscuit (or 4!) but it can be a bit of a bore always having the same old selection to choose from. That’s why I’ve stopped trawling the shelves in the supermarket, hoping for something a bit different, and just started making my own! This recipe is great because they’re so quick to make and so delicious you won’t regret the effort. It’s an adaptation of a Nigella recipe (you might have read before how much I love her recipes!), retaining all of the rich chocolaty-ness but with our typical St Kitts twist.

biscuit

Ingredients:

125g dark chocolate

150g plain flour

30g cocoa powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

125g butter or margarine

75g Demerara sugar

50g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg (refrigerated)

100g orange chocolate (roughly chopped)

100g raspberry chocolate (roughly chopped)

 

Method:

– Preheat the oven to gas mark 3/170C

– Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a bain-marie

– In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

– Mix in the chocolate and vanilla extract, then add the egg and beat until well combined.

– Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cocoa powder and mix thoroughly, until it is the consistency of cake batter.

– Mix in the roughly chopped orange and raspberry chocolates, making sure they are fairly evenly distributed through the mixture.

– Scoop out 12 equal sized mounds and place onto a lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave a good amount of space between each and do not flatten them – they will spread out in the oven.

– Bake for 16 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean (as if you were testing a cake – if you hit a chocolate chip then try again)

– Leave to cool slightly then transfer to a plate or cooling rack.

– Enjoy with a glass of milk or cup of tea!

The best bit is, you can substitute the orange chocolate and raspberry chocolate chips for any flavours you fancy, or even something other than chocolate – I might have a go with cardamom and cranberry next!

 

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Herb of the Month – Pineapple Sage

The weather’s been a bit up and down recently, sunny one minute and raining the next – as they say in Cornwall, ‘don’t like the weather? Just wait five minutes’! We’ve still got some thriving plants though, including our herb of the month, Pineapple Sage.

Salvia elegans, commonly called Pineapple Sage, is a perennial shrub with tubular red flowers and a pineapple scent to its leaves (hence the name!). Native to Mexico and Guatemala, its flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies, in some areas was found to be in the top three plants visited by hummingbirds. It grows up to 1.5m tall and usually flowers between August and late autumn, though some varieties bloom much earlier in the summer. Pineapple sage is relatively easy to grow, liking rich and well-drained soil with lots of light and regular watering. It will flourish either in the ground or in a pot, just remember to leave it lots of space as its roots will grow into a large tangle.

When it comes to uses, pineapple sage shines as a culinary herb. Mixed with garlic and butter it can be a beautifully fruity rub for chicken or even an unusual way to make garlic bread. Its leaves are used in many pestos, with a slightly sweeter taste than common sage. They can also be tossed into fruit or vegetable salads, used as a garnish or to make hot or cold teas. Or try something more adventurous and make a pineapple sage syrup to use on pancakes, waffles, cakes or ice cream. Even the flowers are edible, making fantastic garnishes for desserts.

Pineapple sage is a member of the Salvia family, which takes its name from the Latin verb ‘salvare’, meaning ‘to save’ or ‘to heal’. It is not a surprise then that sage has many medicinal uses. It is traditionally used to lower blood pressure, ease anxiety, indigestion and heartburn. It is also used to ward off negativity, bad spirits, bad health and even bad luck. A home can be cleansed of all negative energy and influences by hanging garlands of sage around windows and doors, or ‘smudging’ (burning the herbs). Whether you use it for any of these things or not, it can’t be denied that pineapple sage is a beautiful addition to any garden.

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Recipe – Gluten & Dairy Free Raspberry Chocolate Cake

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Raspberry Chocolate Cake

glutendairyfreecake

Whether you’re celebrating or commiserating, there’s always an excuse for cake! Unfortunately, those of us with special dietary needs can often be left out of the cake feast. That’s why we’ve adapted our original chocolate raspberry cake recipe to be gluten and dairy free – and still dense and delicious…

Ingredients:

300g margarine (Pure Sunflower spread works best for us)

300g gluten free plain flour (doves farm do a great one)

300g sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

200g soya yoghurt (Alpro plain works well)

2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)

¼ tsp xanthan gum (if you can’t get hold of this,I’ve left this out before and it’s been fine)

70g cocoa powder

6 tbsp almond or rice milk

 

For the topping:

2 tbsp raspberry jam

225g raspberry dark chocolate

125ml soya cream (again, Alprodo a fantastic one)

100g fresh raspberries

 

Method:

– Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5

– Grease and line a spring form cake tin (roughly 20cm diameter)

– In a bowl, beat together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy

– Add the vanilla extract and yoghurt and whisk until well combined.

– Sieve in the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and xanthan gum, the fold the mixture.

– Add the milk and stir until the mixture is smooth.

– Transfer the mixture to the cake tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

– Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

– To make the ganache topping, melt the chocolate either in the microwave 10 seconds at a time, or in a bain marie on the stove.

– Once melted, add the soya cream and stir thoroughly, before putting to one side to cool. As it cools, it should harden to an easier to handle consistency.

– Spread the 2 tbsp of raspberry jam over the top of the cooled cake.

– Pipe or spread the ganache over the cake, top with the fresh raspberries and grate/curl some extra chocolate over for decoration.

 

I promise, you won’t even know it’s not the real thing!

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Recipe – Easter Nests

It’s a time-honoured tradition (in our house anyway), Easter is all about the chocolatey nests. A great way to spend an afternoon with the kids – and you get tasty treats out of it too!

Ingredients:

400g milk chocolate

5 shredded wheat, crushed

Roughly break up the chocolate and put it in a glass bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and leave until all the chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally (this can be done in a microwave, just heat for 10 seconds at a time until the chocolate is melted). Stir in the crushed shredded wheat, making sure it’s all completely coated in the chocolate. On a lined baking sheet, arrange each large spoonful of the mixture into a nest shape and nestle a small chocolate egg, or a selection of mini eggs, into the ‘nest’. Then just leave them to set! If you can get a hold of them, arrange a little easter chick on the nest for decoration.

If you’re the adventurous kind, add some citrus peel to the mixture before shaping or stir in some tiny pieces of chopped marzipan for an extra burst of flavour. Or come up with your own variation – we’ve always wanted to try it with mini marshmallows…

This is a fun and achievable activity… here is a nest made by Poppy

made-by-poppy

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Recipe – Sweet potato, sausage and sage frittata

The sun is finally starting to come out (briefly but it’s something!) and that means it’s time to leave the stews and soups behind and bring out the summer meals. You don’t want to spend too much time cooking though, when you could be enjoying the sunshine, so this quick, simple Frittata recipe is the perfect meal choice. The sweet potato is a novel twist on a spring classic.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, diced

6 sausages (spicy sausages work particularly well), sliced

1 onion, diced

1 sweet pepper, sliced

6 eggs, beaten

1 tsp sage, chopped

handful of baby spinach leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Method

– Boil a pan of water and add the sweet potato. Keep on the boil for roughly 8 minutes, until the sweet potato starts to feel tender. Then drain and keep to one side.

– In a heavy based frying pan, shallow fry the sliced sausage until cooked through, then remove onto a kitchen towel lined plate and keep to one side.

– Fry the onion and pepper in the left over oil from the sausage, until the onion is translucent.

– Add the sausage back to the frying pan, along with the sage, and fry until the peppers are soft. Then add the sweet potato and spinach, stir until thoroughly mixed.

– In a separate bowl, beat the eggs well and season with the salt and pepper.

– Turn the hob down to simmering temperature and pour the egg over the sausage and vegetable mix in the pan. Be sure that the egg is evenly spread throughout the pan.

– Leave to simmer for roughly 6 minutes, until the egg has cooked around the sides of the pan and begun to firm across the top.

– Take the frittata off the hob and grill until the egg is completely firm all the way through and the top is golden brown.

– Serve with salad or green beans and eat out in the sunshine!