Blighty's Britfood Tips

Alternative Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:35:00 +0000

There is more than one way to make Yorkshire Puddings. Last week I published a traditional recipe for the kind of Yorkshire Pudding I ate as a child - heavy and filling. Nowadays, many people prefer their Yorkshires to be light and fluffy so I made them that way this week. Here is how I did it.

Ingredients

3 eggs
Plain or All-Purpose flour
Milk
1 tspn salt

Preparation

Set out three 1 cup measuring jugs (or similar)
In the first jug pour 3 whisked eggs
In the second jug pour plain flour up to the level of the eggs in the first jug
In the third jug pour milk up to the same level as the first two jugs
Thoroughly mix the eggs, flour and salt
Add the milk and mix to a smooth batter
Set the batter aside
Preheat oven to 425F
Pour a little vegetable oil or beef dripping (no olive oil, butter or margarine) into each cup of a muffin tray and place in the oven until literally smoking hot
Remove the muffin tray from the oven and pour enough batter into each cup to fill it no more than half full, then return to the oven
Bake for 15 minutes or until well risen and golden

John's Notes
These Yorkshire Puddings are much lighter than the ones we made last week but I wouldn't call them traditional. These are the kind you are likely to be served in a restaurant rather than at your grandmother's table. I could eat several of these light puddings before feeling full. Which kind do you prefer?

By the way, leftover light Yorkshires make an excellent breakfast too. Warm them a little and spread with marmalade or jam - delicious!

All Rise! Perfect Yorkshire Puddings Every Time

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:36:00 +0000

One of the most common complaints made by cooks is that their Yorkshires won't rise. Some customers at Blighty's put the blame squarely on Canadian flour. The solution, in their minds, is to use imported British flour. But Yorkshire Puddings are made all over the world mostly without the benefit of British flour. I made Yorkshire Puddings with Canadian all-purpose flour and they rose just nicely; here is how I did it.

Ingredients
Customer, friend and Yorkshireman Harry Daisley has a simple secret to good Yo'ksher puds; he calls it his "2, 2 and 2 rule".

2 cups plain flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs, plus ...
1 tspn salt

You will also need a small quantity of oil or fat. Beef dripping is best but you can also use vegetable oil. Never use olive oil, butter or margarine, they burn at too low a temperature.

Preparation

Using a stand mixer with a beater blade, thoroughly mix the eggs into the flour
Add the salt and briefly mix again
Add the milk slowly while mixing at low speed
Increase the mixing speed to ensure a smooth, lump-free batter
Set the batter to one side

Pre-heat oven to 425F
Place a small amount of oil or fat into the cups of a muffin pan and place into the oven until the fat is smoking hot. This stage is very important, do not rush it and make sure the fat is really smoking!
Remove the muffin pan from the oven using oven gloves (it will be very hot)
Pour batter into the muffin pan until the cups are no more than half full then return to the oven
Watch in awe as your puddings rise and turn golden brown on the outside
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR TO CHECK ON YOUR PUDDINGS. Sorry for shouting, but if you open the oven door your Yorkshires will probably collapse

John's Notes

Serve your Yorkshire Puddings immediately with lashings of rich beef gravy. Yorkshire Puddings are traditionally eaten as a starter course, followed by roast beef as an entree (a belly filled with cheap Yorkshire Pud needs less of the costly roast beef). This idea came from the days when poor Yo'ksher folk struggled to feed their 17 kids who lived in a cardboard box in middle o' road. Of course, that wer' nowt, we had it tough ...

Simple Curry Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Curry is a delicious dish, well-loved in the UK, as it is in many other parts of the world. Now you can capture the curry taste in a simple soup that you can make in minutes using Oxo curry cubes. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

4 cups water
4 Oxo curry cubes
2 medium onions
2 medium potatoes

Preparation

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, then crush the Oxo curry cubes into the water and stir to dissolve; turn down the heat to a simmer
Dice the onions and fry in a little oil until tender
Dice and parboil the potatoes (about 5 minutes in a microwave usually works well)
Stir the onions and potatoes into the curry stock and simmer for 10 minutes
Using a hand blender (or a potato masher) lightly blend the onions and potatoes into the stock
Stir in a little light cream (optional)
Serve while still piping hot

John's Notes

Makes a light, mouth-watering lunch or serve as a starter. Oxo curry cubes are just spicy enough to set your taste buds tingling.

Where to Buy Oxo Curry Cubes

Oxo Curry cubes are available at some British stores in Canada (including Blighty's Tuck Store) or buy Oxo Curry cubes from Blighty's online shopping website.

30 Second Dip Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:14:00 +0000

How about a nice, tasty recipe you can make in 30 seconds or less? This dip is known in various parts of the world as "raita". Its principal ingredient is yogurt. You can mix various ingredients into the yogurt to add flavour, but this recipe adds a distinctly British touch by using mint sauce.

Ingredients

Plain yogurt (select a natural yogurt with no sugar or gelatin)
Bachelors or Colmans Mint Sauce

Preparation

In a small bowl or ramekin, mix 2 parts yogurt with 1 part mint sauce

Use as a dip for potato chips (crisps), flatbread or as a salad dressing. Simple yet delicious.

Tasty Savoury Muffin Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:14:00 +0000

Here is a colourful, tasty snack that you could convince yourself is healthy enough to be eaten as part of a sensible diet. It came from an English cookbook discovered on a recent trip.

Ingredients

125g (4 oz) Cheddar cheese
180g (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
275g (10oz) plain or all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 medium eggs
175ml (6 fl oz) milk
85g (3 oz) melted salted butter

Preparation

Grate the cheese and finely chop the spinach
Sift flour, baking powder and stir in sugar, salt and pepper
Stir in cheese and spinach
Beat eggs, milk and butter until smooth
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well-mixed
Pour the batter into a muffin pan and bake at 375F for 30 minutes

John's Notes

The ingredient quantities shown make 6 Texas-size muffins. Why "Texas-size" in an English recipe? As you may know, Texas is south of New York, Philadelphia and Washington which are three small communities in the north-east of England. Well ... you asked.

5 Minute Cheese Footballs

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:21:00 +0000

Ingredients

1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup strong Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped chives
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup ground pecans

Preparation

Put all the ingredients into a stand mixer on medium speed until well blended
Scoop out the mix with a table spoon and roll into balls
Roll each ball in ground pecans
Serve on sticks

John's Notes
There are many variations on this simple recipe. You can use almost any hard cheese. If you prefer a less spicy flavour, omit the cayenne. Roll in chilli powder or paprika instead of nuts. Serve with a dip of yogurt and fresh chopped chives.

If you don't have a stand mixer you can still make this recipe the old-fashioned way with a pudding bowl tucked under your arm and a thick, strong wooden spoon.

If you have these common ingredients available you can make this handy recipe to entertain guests during a commercial break on TV.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:28:00 +0000

This recipe is especially good for diabetics (like me). "Are you nuts?" No really ... after eating this dessert I will have to be really good for a couple of weeks and stick to my veggies and yogurt diet. Meanwhile I get one night of sin. Mmmm.

Ingredients

1 200g bar Cadbury Bournville dark chocolate
2 100g bars Nestle Milkybar white chocolate
1 49g bar Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate
2 cups milk
1 sachet Knox brand gelatin
3 cups whipping cream

Preparation

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks

Measure 2 cups of milk in a measuring jug, then pour about a quarter of a cup from the jug into a small mug or bowl. Sprinkle the contents of the sachet of Knox brand gelatin over the quarter cup of milk. Meanwhile pour another quarter cup of milk from the jug and microwave it until quite hot, then pour it over the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Return the milk containing the gelatin to the jug (you will now have 2 cups of milk containing dissolved gelatin) and stir lightly.
Break the dark chocolate into pieces and melt it in a microwave oven (or use a double boiler)
Stir 1 cup of the milk containing the gelatin into the melted dark chocolate to make a smooth chocolate sauce
Allow the dark chocolate sauce to cool to room temperature then whisk with half of the whipped cream to make a light mousse.
Half fill serving glasses with the dark chocolate mousse and refrigerate for at least an hour to give time for the gelatin to begin to set.

Repeat the above with the white chocolate and fill the serving glasses to the brim with white chocolate mousse (on top of the dark chocolate mousse).

Refrigerate overnight then shave the Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate over the top of what will now be firmly set mousses.

Enjoy ... then repent.

Haggis Breakfast Fritters Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 01:44:00 +0000

I had half a can of delicious Stahly brand haggis left over from the previous recipe on this blog. "What to do with it", I thought. It was Sunday morning when I usually like to prepare a cooked breakfast, plus, I had a pack of "Original" brand crispy batter mix from Goldenfry Foods in my kitchen. So I put the two together to create some very tasty haggis fritters; here is how I made them.

Ingredients

1 pack Goldenfry "Original" brand crispy batter mix (or make from scratch)
1 can Stahly brand haggis (or use fresh haggis)

Preparation

Squeeze the haggis in your hands to make small patties, then coat them in flour
Prepare the batter mix by following the directions on the pack
Dip the floured haggis patties into the batter mix and turn them to ensure they are thoroughly covered in batter
Transfer immediately to a deep-fry pan full of pre-heated oil
Fry until golden and crispy

John's Notes
It is almost impossible for this recipe to go wrong. If you use the recommended "Original" brand of crispy batter mix your results will be perfect every time. On the other hand, if you prepare your batter mix from scratch your results may vary.

I suspect that Robbie Burns and his compatriots would have me deep-fried in oil for perpetrating such an indignity on their national dish. Although I love my haggis I am, after all, a Sassenach and I ate the actual dish pictured above for my breakfast. Enjoy but beware angry Scotsmen wielding sharp claymores.

Haggis Stuffed Chicken in Creamy Oatmeal Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:37:00 +0000

A customer in Blighty's Tuck Store was buying haggis recently. We struck up a conversation in which she told me she was using the haggis as a stuffing for chicken. I didn't get her name, but if you are that customer, I want to thank you for the idea. I didn't get a recipe from the customer so I set about developing my own. The dish I came up with is absolutely delicious; here is how I made it.

Ingredients

Boned, skinned chicken breasts
Haggis
Flour, oil, oatmeal and seasoning for the sauce

Preparation
1. The Stuffed Chicken

Carefully skin the chicken breasts and separate the meat from the bone. With a very sharp knife, cut a pocket in each breast
Fill the pocket with as much haggis as will fit and then a little bit more. Roll the stuffed breasts in your hands to close the pockets around the stuffing
Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes

2. The Sauce

Warm a tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan. Stir in a tablespoon of flour and cook lightly for about 30 seconds
Slowly add a cup of water, stirring well, then add a cup of light cream and cook until the sauce just begins to thicken
Stir in a tablespoon of oatmeal and cook slowly until the sauce has thickened and all the oatmeal has softened and blended into the sauce
Season the sauce with salt, pepper and a generous amount of garlic then cover and set it aside until the chicken is ready
Serve the stuffed chicken in a bath of creamy oatmeal sauce with a selection of cooked fresh vegetables

John's Notes
I really enjoyed this dish; the thick, creamy oatmeal sauce was a perfect complement to the rich, spicy flavour of the haggis. I used canned haggis which is convenient and which has a very traditional rich flavour that I particularly enjoy. This dish is going to be a repeat favourite in my household!

St Clements Tray Bake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:32:00 +0000

This simple cake recipe takes only a few minutes of easy preparation and a half hour to bake. It is one of many "tray bake" recipes. You could substitute other flavourings such as chocolate, vanilla or almond (but then you would have to give it a different name; you will understand why in a minute).

Ingredients

1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup sugar + more for the drizzling sauce
1 cup self-raising flour
3 eggs
Lemon juice
Orange zest or candied peel

Preparation

Soften the margarine (15 seconds in a microwave does the trick nicely)
Stir in the sugar, lemon juice and eggs then mix until smooth
Add the flour and stir briskly using a whisk until the batter is perfectly smooth
Pour into a shallow baking tray lined with parchment paper
Bake at 350-375F for a half hour or until a knife blade inserted into the centre comes out clean
Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice with more sugar than will dissolve in it, then warm the mixture in a microwave for 10 seconds to dissolve all the sugar. Allow the sauce to cool, then drizzle all over the top of the finished cake
Decorate the top of the cake with orange zest or candied orange peel

John's Notes
Okay, what's with the strange name? Why St Clements? The name comes from a childrens' rhyme, popular in the UK, about the bells of various churches in the City of London. It begins: "Oranges and Lemons say the bells of St Clements". The rhyme dates back to the early 18th Century.

This recipe was inspired by a similar one published on mydish.co.uk attributed to British TV actor Martin Clunes.

Ground Rice Pudding Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:26:00 +0000

I love my rice pudding, but if I made it the same way it was made when I was a young boy, three things would happen:

It would take a couple of hours to prepare
The cooking process would consume a lot of fuel
My electricity bill would be even higher than the politicians have made it already

You see, in the good old days, rice pudding was made by popping the ingredients into an ovenproof dish and baking the pudding in a hot oven for an awfully long time. It tasted delicious, but ... see (1), (2) and (3) above.

There is a quick and easy stovetop method that can be made even quicker and easier using ground rice. Don't have any ground rice in the kitchen? No problem! Here is how I made my own ground rice pudding.

Ingredients

1 cup long grain or short grain rice
4 cups milk
1 tsp almond essence
Sugar
1 tbsp raisins

Preparation

Grind the rice in a coffee grinder or whatever other kitchen gadget you have available
In a saucepan, mix the ground rice with milk, then add the almond essence and sugar to taste
Stir like hot-diggity or your pudding will be lumpy
Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally
Remove from the heat and leave for 20 minutes, or until all the milk has been absorbed by the rice
Stir in some raisins
Eat

John's Notes
Here is a little bit of science for you. Small particles (e.g. of rice) have a higher surface area to volume ratio than large particles. I'll spare you the mathematical explanation, but it means that small particles absorb liquid more efficiently than large particles.

So, if you use ground rice instead of whole grain rice, it will absorb milk more efficiently and make the preparation of your pudding faster and easier. And that means you get to eat it sooner. Boom badda bing.

Great Garibaldi Biscuits in Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 02:04:00 +0000

Garibaldi biscuits (cookies) are a very tasty sandwich of light pastry with a squashed raisin filling. They are a very popular item in the store, but you can make them at home for a fraction of the cost of the store-bought variety (I am talking myself out of business again - oh well ...). Here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 scoop raisins
1 egg
Salt, milk

Preparation

Rub the butter into the flour until smooth then stir in the sugar
Add a very small amount of milk to make a workable dough
Roll out the dough on a floured board until very thin. If you can keep the rolled dough rectangular in shape that's great, otherwise trim it into a neat rectangle
Cut the rolled dough into two equal parts
Squash the raisins with a rolling pin then spread them onto one of the two pieces of rolled dough
Place the other piece of rolled dough on top of the raisins to make a raisin sandwich
Roll the sandwich with a rolling pin until it is once again very thin
Score the surface of the sandwich about half way through with a knife to make a pattern of evenly sized rectangles (break along these score lines to separate the biscuits after baking)
Brush the top of the sandwich with whisked egg (this gives the biscuits a very attractive golden colour)
Bake at 400F on a greased baking tray until golden (about 20 minutes)

John's Notes
I made two batches of Garibaldi because I goofed on the first batch and made them with plain (all-purpose) flour. The second batch was made with the addition of a teaspoon of baking powder and certainly had a lighter texture.

If you don't have any self-raising flour, or baking powder, available go right ahead and make your Garibaldi with plain flour instead; they taste just as good.

Finally, how big is a raisin scoop? Well, how much do you like raisins? I packed my Garibaldi biscuits with as many raisins as I could squeeze in. I like raisins.

Easy Eccles Cake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:52:00 +0000

Eccles Cakes got their name from the small town in England where they were invented sometime in the 18th Century. The town of Eccles has now been swallowed up by the City of Salford near Manchester and is now little more than a famous suburb of the larger city. Eccles Cakes are famous the world over and were exported to North America as early as 1818. They are very tasty and surprisingly easy to make. Here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

1 pack frozen flaky pastry - defrosted
Raisins
Candied peel
Butter or margarine
Sugar
Grated nutmeg

Preparation

Roll out the pastry to about 1/4 inch thickness
Using a small tea plate (or similar) mark approximately 6 inch diameter circles in the pastry and cut carefully (if you have one, use a 6 inch cookie cutter)
Melt a generous tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, then stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of raisins, 1 tablespoon of candied peel plus half a teaspoon of grated nutmeg
Stir well then set aside to cool
Place a tablespoon of the fruit filling into the centre of each circle of pastry them moisten the edges of the pastry with water
Fold the pastry edges up over the fruit filling and seal around the filling
Flip cakes upside down on a floured board and very gently flatten them and, restore their round shape using your hands
Make three cuts across the top of each cake then spread some sugar on top and sprinkle lightly with water
Place on a baking tray in a pre-heated oven at 400F for about 20 minutes or until the cakes turn a light brown colour

John's Notes
Eccles Cakes are delicious hot or cold. I ate one of mine straight from the oven but if you are planning to eat yours cold make sure you wrap them in cling film to keep them moist.

Easy Green Pea and Bacon Soup Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:42:00 +0000

I found some inexpensive bacon scraps at a farmer's market recently. Just perfect for a green pea and bacon soup like the one my mother used to make. This recipe is a popular variant of ham and pea soup which is usually made with gammon and yellow peas. But what made this recipe popular in my family kitchen was readily available, inexpensive dried marrowfat peas and leftover bacon, ham or gammon. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

1/2 kg ham, bacon, gammon leftovers
1 pack Batchelor's Quick Soak peas
Seasoning

Preparation

Prepare a ham stock by boiling a hambone or scraps of leftover bacon or ham in about a litre of water for a half hour or more (a couple of hours is even better)
Chop the bacon into very small pieces and boil it in 750ml of the stock for at least 20 minutes
Prepare the Quick Soak peas as directed on the package (plan ahead, they have to be soaked for 2 hours before use). The finished peas should be moist and mushy
Stir the peas into the stock and return to the boil, season with garlic, chives, salt and pepper, then simmer for another half hour or so (until it thickens) before serving

John's Notes
This recipe makes a very filling and nutritious thick soup. I served mine with homemade garlic bread (melt some butter in a pan over gentle heat, add powdered garlic to taste, stir in chopped fresh or dried chives then pour over toasted bread). The smell of this soup, while it is cooking, will drive you crazy.

Blighty's British Bourbon Shortbread Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Shortbread is a light, buttery cookie with four essential ingredients: flour, butter, sugar and vanilla. But it can be made in many different ways to create exciting variations of the basic recipe. Many people love chocolate so I created a "bourbon" shortbread variety that is very chocolatey. But if you really love your chocolate try my double-chocolate or triple-chocolate versions. Here is how I made them.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup demerara sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Cadbury's cocoa powder

Preparation

Cream the butter using an electric mixer (butter should be at room temperature)
Whisk in the demerara sugar and keep mixing until all the sugar has thoroughly blended with the creamed butter
Add the salt, cocoa and vanilla extract and mix thoroughly
Slowly add the flour and mix thoroughly until the dough is smooth
Refrigerate for at least fifteen minutes to firm the dough then knead lightly and roll out onto a floured board
Cut the cookies to the desired shape then bake at 350F on a sheet of parchment for 20 minutes

John's Notes
Security alert: Unless you live alone Blighty's British Bourbon Shortbread Biscuits should be kept under lock and key. They will mysteriously disappear if left unattended in a family household.

Double Chocolate: As if these delectable treats weren't irresistible enough, try dipping them in melted chocolate to create a double chocolate version.

Triple Chocolate: Can you handle this much ecstasy? Spread half the cookies with Cadbury's chocolate spread; place another cookie on top to make a sandwich, then dip the whole thing in melted chocolate.

Traditional Empire Cookie Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:18:00 +0000

Empire Cookies are a traditional British treat made from two thin shortbread cookies sandwiched together with raspberry jam filling, topped with almond frosting and a cherry. They are very popular indeed and, no wonder, they taste great. Here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar (icing or confectioners sugar)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Raspberry jam
Candied cherries

Preparation

Allow the butter to come to room temperature so that it is quite soft, then beat it with an electric mixer until it is well creamed
Add the caster sugar and mix again until the sugar is well blended into the creamed butter. Don't make any shortcuts at this stage if you want your shortbread to be light and tasty
Mix the flour and salt together then slowly add it to the creamed butter/sugar mix as you stir the dough. Keep the dough smooth but do not overwork it
Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least fifteen minutes to allow the very soft dough to stiffen up and be more workable
Roll the dough to a half centimeter thickness on a floured board then cut it into circular pieces a couple of inches in diameter with a cookie cutter or the rim of a coffee mug
Place each cookie on a sheet of parchment paper on a baking tray and bake at 350C for about 10 minutes or until the cookies are very slightly brown (do not overbake)
Mix the powdered sugar with a very small amount of boiling water to make a firm but not thick frosting, then stir in the almond extract
When the cookies have completely cooled, spread half of them with raspberry jam and the other half with frosting, then place the frosted cookies on top of the ones coated with raspberry jam so that the jam is in the middle and the frosting is on top
Finally, decorate each empire cookie with half a candied cherry

John's Notes
The preparation sounds more complicated than it really is. You can make a batch of empire cookies in less than half an hour and they really do taste terrific. If you don't have any caster sugar in your kitchen simply put some regular, granulated sugar in your coffee blender for about 20 seconds. You can use granulated sugar directly, but caster sugar has smaller crystals and makes a smoother mix. Enjoy.

Tasty Potato Scones in Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 02:10:00 +0000

I get a lot of requests for potato scones ("tatty scones" to the Scots) in the store. It hasn't been so easy to keep them in stock now that so many small bakeries have been put out of business by the Ontario government.

I keep telling people they can make their own quite easily but I hadn't actually tested that theory until today. Well I haven't been telling a word of a lie. You can make very tasty potato scones that taste just like the commercially made ones for a fraction of the price. And it takes only a few minutes to do. Here is how I made mine.

Ingredients

Mashed potatoes
Flour
Salt
Margarine or butter

Preparation

Prepare some mashed potatoes. It really doesn't matter whether you use instant (e.g. Smash from Blighty's) or take the trouble to wash, peel, boil for twenty minutes then mash your own
Fork in a large knob or butter or margarine while the mashed potatoes are still hot and stir a good pinch of salt
Using a wooden spoon, stir in just enough flour to turn the mashed potatoes into a workable dough. Do not use too much flour or the dough will be dry and will break up
Knead, then roll a ball of dough on a floured board until about a quarter inch thick. Cut into a circle using a bowl or plate as a guide then score the surface into quarters
Preheat a griddle and apply a very light coat of oil to the hot surface
Carefully transfer the circle of dough onto the griddle and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Check the cooked side of the scones and flip them when the cooked side looks light brown. Repeat on the other side
Remove from the heat and cut along the score lines to make four triangular shaped scones

John's Notes
Potato scones are delicious as a cold snack on their own or spread with marmalade or jam. They are traditionally eaten as part of a full, cooked Scottish breakfast. If you pre-cook your potato scones you should lightly fry them in butter (until golden) to serve as part of a cooked breakfast.

Home Made Marmite Crisps Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:58:00 +0000

I love my Marmite but ... I know ... not everybody agrees with me. Marmite is famous for dividing the world into two camps: those who love it ... and those who hate it. Whichever camp you fall into to, this recipe is for you. I will explain in a minute.

If you are of British origin you will know what "crisps" are. For the rest of the world, just read "chips" wherever you see the word "crisps". Not familiar with Marmite? It is a by-product of the brewing process; an intensely strong flavoured, sticky spread with a salty, savoury taste.

But crisps are junk food aren't they? Empty calories. Well maybe, but it depends a lot on how you cook them. Traditional deep-fried crisps are loaded with fat and salt and ... Many crisps are now baked instead. My home-made crisps were nuked. Here is the quick and simple process by which I made them.

Ingredients

1 medium potato (per serving)
1 jar Marmite (see John's Notes for other ideas)

Preparation

Slice the potato as thinly as you can
Spread one side of each slice with a light coat of Marmite
Spread on a large microwaveable plate
Microwave on high for about five minutes until crisp

John's Notes
Beware, the potato slices cook very slowly at first as the juices evaporate but, in the last minute of cooking things happen very quickly. Watch your crisps very carefully while they are in the microwave; if you lose attention for even a few seconds you may miss the point at which your delicious, golden crisps become cremated by overcooking.

Oh yes, I promised an explanation of why you should still read this recipe even if you hate Marmite. Well, you can simply substitute tomato ketchup, Daddies sauce, HP sauce, salt & vinegar or whatever your imagination can conjure up. The preparation method is the same. Snack on!

Recipe for Frozen Banana Dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:57:00 +0000

How about a delicious dessert with just one ingredient that takes only minutes to make? It tastes like ice cream, but it contains absolutely no dairy products at all. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

Bananas (2 per portion)

Preparation

Peel the bananas and place inside a freezer bag.
Put the bag into the freezer and leave until the bananas have frozen thoroughly.
Remove the bag from the freezer and thinly slice the bananas
Place in a blender and blend until the banana turns into a smooth, thick pulp
Spoon into serving glasses and return to the freezer for no more than a half hour
Eat right away

John's Notes
Make sure you have a blender with muscles, because it is tough job to reduce the frozen banana slices to a pulp. My old blender groaned, growled and complained but eventually got the job done. The process of blending the frozen bananas to a pulp creates a lot of heat which partially defrosts the bananas. That is why I recommend returning the finished product to the freezer for a short time. If your blender is powerful enough to make quick work of the job you may not need to refreeze.

And finally, this is a perfect recipe for using up old bananas whose skins are turning brown. In fact, it works best with very ripe bananas because the flesh of the fruit is very tender.

Chocolate Pudding Surrender Correction

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 01:55:00 +0000

The original version of this recipe distributed to subscribers by email omitted instructions on how to use the gelatin. I apologize. The prepared gelatin is mixed with the other ingredients as the final step before leaving the pudding to set. The recipe has been corrected online: http://britfood.blightys.com/2011/06/chocolate-pudding-surrender.html.

Chocolate Pudding Surrender

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:52:00 +0000

Try to imagine what a true, die-hard chocolate lover would order for his last meal. Well this is it. Absolute ecstasy for the taste buds followed by hours of guilt and remorse. No really, if you eat this incredible dessert that I have christened "Chocolate Pudding Surrender" you will hate yourself afterwards (but it will curl your toes with pleasure while you are eating it). Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

200g bar of Cadbury Bournville dark chocolate
2 medium bars Nestle Milkybar white chocolate
Coffee Cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 pack Knox brand gelatin

Preparation

Melt the Cadbury Bournville dark chocolate in a stainless steel mixing bowl over a pan of boiling water
Pour into a 2-cup measuring jug and stir in enough coffee cream to make up the volume to 2 cups
Stir in the sugar until dissolved
Prepare the gelatin as directed on the pack and mix with the other ingredients
Pour into a jelly mould or four small serving bowls, cover with cling film and refrigerate until set (a couple of hours or overnight)
Melt the Nestle Milkybar white chocolate and use it to decorate the top of each pudding

John's Notes
Nutritional advice: this dessert will cause you to gain weight. It will squeeze every last drop of insulin out of your body and leave you with deep feelings of remorse and guilt. You have been warned. It will also taste very good and will be worth every inch of guilt that you will feel after eating it.

I can only manage the guilt of one single encounter with Chocolate Pudding Surrender in my lifetime, but if I were going to make it again I would try it with Hartleys Strawberry Jelly mix (use just half a pack) instead of plain gelatin. Enjoy (then suffer)!

Spotted Dick in a Mug in 5 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:51:00 +0000

Ah, that wonderfully traditional British dessert whose name inspires titters among those who misinterpret the origin of its name (its name represents a spotty-faced schoolboy; the spots are the raisins).

Spotted Dick can be made the old-fashioned way, by steaming the batter for an hour or so. But, of course, the old way uses a lot of energy. So, here is an alternative preparation method that will let you enjoy lovely spotted dick pudding from scratch in only 5 minutes while also shaving dollars off this week's carbon credits budget.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons plain or all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons whisked egg
1 tablespoon raisins
1 dash vanilla essence

Preparation

In a greased mug, thoroughly mix the flour and sugar then beat in the egg until the mixture is smooth
Stir in the oil, milk and vanilla essence and whisk thoroughly until the batter is entirely smooth
Stir in the raisins
Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes (dependent on the power of your oven)

John's Notes
This recipe is so simple that I wonder why I ever made Spotted Dick the old-fashioned way. I was in a big rush this morning but I still had time to make this recipe for my breakfast! Try it for dessert with Birds Custard (thoroughly mix one teaspoon of Birds custard powder with 1 cup of coffee cream and microwave for 1 minute for the creamiest custard you ever tasted).

By the way, this recipe can go very wrong if you don't measure the ingredients carefully. Especially, do not use more egg than recommended. I tried it with a whole egg and the resulting pudding was heavy enough to use as a ship's anchor.

Easy Rhubarb Jam

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:52:00 +0000

At this time of year our gardens are usually producing an abundance of delicious rhubarb. We had a very wet spring in southern Ontario so my rhubarb is growing so prolifically that I have more of the stuff than I could eat all summer long. So, I decided to make some rhubarb jam; here is how I did it.

Ingredients

Fresh cut rhubarb
Sugar
Hartley's Strawberry Jelly

Preparation

Cut the rhubarb stems into pieces about an inch long then wash well. You will need about 4 cups.
Add sugar, the amount is not critical but about 1 cup for every 4 cups of rhubarb is a good guide.
Stir the rhubarb and sugar together and leave for about an hour
Simmer the rhubarb over gentle heat until it turns mushy
Bring the rhubarb to a boil and add the Strawberry Jelly, stirring until all the jelly is dissolved
Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature then scoop the jam into storage jars
The jam is ready to serve after the jelly has set overnight

John's Notes
In May and June rhubarb is less tart but add more sugar in making this recipe in late season. This recipe is very simple to make and the resulting jam (I guess you could call it "rhubarb jelly") is absolutely delicious!

Soft Ice Cream in 2 Minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Thu, 26 May 2011 00:40:00 +0000

How would you like to enjoy delicious soft ice cream that takes only two minutes to prepare? No ice cream maker required, just a hand held electric mixer and a freezer! Here is how I made it.

Ingredients

1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar

Preparation

Whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks and is quite firm (use a low speed to start otherwise the cream will spray all over your kitchen; then increase to high speed as the cream thickens)
Fold in the caster sugar and vanilla essence
Place in freezer for 20 minutes

John's Notes
The trick with making your own ice cream is to prevent ice crystals forming in the cream as it freezes. This usually involves constant stirring. However, if you whip the cream, the presence of thousands of tiny pockets of air prevents ice crystals forming by providing an insulating barrier. The air pockets also soften the ice cream.

But why doesn't ice cream made this way taste the same as store bought ice cream? Because store bought ice cream doesn't actually contain very much honest-to-goodness real cream anymore!

I found the taste of this ice cream very agreeable. Vanilla is actually my favourite flavour. It is a very expensive and exotic flavour made from plants that only grow in very few places around the world. Why it is so maligned I cannot imagine. But, if you prefer, you can invent your own flavours.

And finally, what if you don't have any caster sugar lying around in your kitchen? Caster sugar is very finely granulated sugar. Regular sugar is too heavy for the whipped cream which will tend to collapse under its weight. So, here is a tip: take regular granulated sugar and give it a spin in an electric coffee grinder! It works like magic. Enjoy.

Royal Cheese Souffle

noreply@blogger.com (Blighty's Tuck Store) — Thu, 19 May 2011 02:13:00 +0000

This dish is reported to be one of the Queen's favourites. According to sources, she likes to dig a spoon into the centre of the finished souffle and fill it with thick, heavy cream. I didn't get that adventurous but I did manage to make quite a fine Royal Cheese Souffle; here is how I did it.

Ingredients

1 cup cream
2 tablespoons plain or all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons potato flour
1/2 cup grated strong cheese (e.g. Parmesan)
6 eggs (separated)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Preparation

Using a whisk, stir the cream, plain flour, potato flour and cayenne together in a saucepan over medium heat until the sauce thickens
Stir in the cheese until it melts into the sauce
Blend the eggs yolks into the sauce which should now be quite thick
Set the sauce to one side to cool
Whisk the eggs whites at high speed until stiff peaks begin to appear
Fold the egg whites into the sauce and mix thoroughly but do not stir too vigorously
Spoon the mix into a well-greased souffle dish (one with straight sides to help the souffle rise)
Bake in a hot oven until the souffle has risen and is light brown on top
Serve immediately

John's Notes
One of the challenges of making a souffle is to get it to rise to the top of the dish without overflowing. I filled my dish to about halfway and the souffle just reached the brim as it completed its time in the oven. That was good luck more than judgement. The quantities given in this recipe made just a little more souffle mix than would fit in my souffle dish. But, no problem, I made two smaller souffles as well. More to enjoy - which I did!