Happy Christmas & Hogmanay from the Scottish Highlands
Posted in: Uncategorized
Tag Archives: Scottish
Orange, almond & chocolate cake
This is one of my all time favourite recipes: uber moist; sophisticatedly sweet and tangy; distinctively almondy. A cake for grown ups. Commonly used in Spanish and Moorish cakes, almonds bring so much more to the party than Bulk Out Flour, and they taste better. They’re filling, good for us, moist in baking and gluten free. The swapping of sugar for Agave is a trick I’m a tiny bit pleased with. Options are also given for sugar and Stevia (saccharine barf) FYI, though my preference on both taste and waistline would be Agave.
You can lose the choc drops for a more traditional recipe which is also sugar and dairy free. This cake is so devoid of bad stuff, in fact, you can even use it as an energy and protein pick me up for fitness training. I’ve baked in tartan cups as a nod to Edinburgh’s Brew Lab inspiration from last week.
Ingredients
3 medium oranges
4 tbsp Agave / 3 tbsp Stevia / 300g tbsp caster sugar
400g ground almonds
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp dark choc chips
For the syrup
2 oranges, juice of
2 tbsp Agave / 1 tbsp Stevia / 100g sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4. Grease and line a 25cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper. Alternatively, you can make 8 – 10 individual cakes with muffin moulds or ANTA ovenproof cups.
Clean oranges, cover with water in a saucepan, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 mins. Cut into quarters, removing the seeds.
Transfer to a food processor (retaining the peel!) and blitz with 4 tbsp of the Agave or 300g sugar for about 30 secs. Add almonds, eggs and baking powder and puree for a few seconds before scraping down the sides and blitzing again until smooth – approx. 10 secs.
Fold through the choc chips and transfer into your greased tin. Bake for 50 or so mins. If opting for the muffin-sized cakes, cook for 20 mins. A knife should come out moist. Set your cake aside in the tin or cups for 10 mins.
Bring the syrup ingredients to the boil and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. Prick the cake/s all over with a skewer and pour over the syrup. Leave to soak up all the juices.
Once cooled, remove and serve on a plate, or directly from your ANTA cups. Dollop with double cream.
The almonds will keep this cake moist for several days. In fact, it will go moldy before it goes stale. As an added bonus, almonds are also a Seducer, check out their charms here.
Foraging for Scottish brambles and other things
Posted in: Uncategorized
What did our grandmothers do before UK supermarkets became an abundance of year round global crops? And what does seasonal really mean when we can freeze food? OK a summer fruit salad is probably best avoided in December, but frozen berries and purees mixed in recipes are surely just as good? In fact, compared with tasteless bananas picked while green for import, the freezer wins every time, in nutrients too.
Although our Netherton Farm bramble hunt proved disappointing, Mother Nature turned up other surprises that our grannies, and a 1929 MAFF guide, would never have allowed go to waste.
The Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries & Food, HMSO Bulletin 21: Home Preservation of Fruit & Vegetables.
Mother Garcia’s cherished (and sous chef crayoned) 1970’s copy talked her through jamming, canning and bottling in preparation for the winter months; and a Wholesome Seduction child is born.
Netherton Farm Foraging Finds:
Elderberries, lots of.
The post elderflower berry is a nutritional powerhouse. Note: they’re poisonous unless cooked. They won’t kill you, but chances are you’ll vomit them back up before any of their goodness has been absorbed.
Good for: A syrup for coughs or on ice cream; in smoothies, juices or Elderberry & Apple Jelly (jam), or just on top of yoghurt.
Too late for elderflowers, the homemade champagne will sadly have to wait till next year.
Sloes & Rosehips
Good for: Hogmanay Sloe Gin. And Rose-hip syrup – the UK’s pre Ribena answer to Vitamin C.
Brambles & Acorns
Good for: Bramble bircher. And feeding pigs. Look no further than Spain’s famous Pata Negra Jamón.
A (rarely seen) Fairy Ring
Good for: Fairies. They live inside the mushroom circles.
Wild Boar cross Tamworth piglets
Not entirely wild but in fact, largely dependent on Mum Garcia for food, and affection it would seem. Surprisingly needy mammals, pigs.
Good for: Pork belly, smoked bacon, sausages, Pork Pies, Pigs Cheeks with Apple & Cider… It really is my favourite meat.
3 weeks old
For the love of God! Do I really love pork belly that much? Yep, afraid so.
comments 0
A royal picnic: Shortbread hearts
Posted in: V
Makes 20 (ish)
Plenty of seduction, not a lot of wholesome (although this version’s impressively low in sugar). But some things are best savoured exactly as they are, butter included. And would you mess with an age old Scottish family recipe?
Ingredients
150g plain flour
30g semolina
120g unsalted butter, softened
30g caster sugar – lavender sugar’s also good, or the zest of a lemon
Method
- In a bowl or blender, mix butter and sugar until light and creamy. Beat in flour and semolina until you get to a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30mins.
- On a floured surface, roll to aprox 1cm thick and cut into heart shapes with a 1 – 2 inch cookie cutter.
- Place on baking trays lined with baking paper and chill in the fridge for a further 15 mins. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4.
- Bake for 15 – 20 mins, until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack (carefully!), sprinkle with sugar and leave to cool. Store in an airtight container until picnic time.
Wrap in greaseproof paper and tie in place with some Union Jack ribbon. Serve alongside jars of the Rhubarb & cardamom compote with clotted cream.
A couple of teaspoons, and let everyone dig in for sweet and tangy bite sized Britishness.
comments 0