Chelsea Buns

Normally at the weekend, I like to do some baking that takes a bit more effort than what I usually get up to during the week.  I'm not a really big fan of yeast baking, but I am a huge fan of Chelsea Buns . . .  and the shop bought ones are usually so disappointing, so this weekend I decided to try to make my own with excellent results, using a recipe I got from a National Trust baking book.  They are excellent sources of traditional recipes.



Chelsea is an area of London which is well known for a few things . . .  the Chelsea Flower Show each Spring, the Chelsea Pensioners, it's posh Night Life, the Sloane Rangers . . .  and these lovely buns. The Chelsea bun is a type of currant bun that was first created in the 18th century at the Bun House in Chelsea, an establishment favoured by Hanoverian royalty which was demolished in 1839.



I like them because they are stogged full of lovely dried fruits and candied peel.  They are quite similar to a cinnamon roll, but I think they are much better than cinnamon rolls.


 They make the perfect teatime treat, sliced and buttered.  I like to warm them a bit.   They go down really well with a hot drink.  I am usually quite intimidated by yeast doughs, but these went together quite easily and they tasted eons better than any I have ever bought ready made.  Probably because they were fresh!

 

*Chelsea Buns*

Makes 9

Printable Recipe 

These buns were originally made and sold in the Old Chelsea Bun House, in Pimlico, London.  Dense and fruity and great served warm and buttered with a nice hot cuppa. 

225g of strong white bread flour, sifted (1 1/2 cups plus 2 TBS)

6.25g of dried yeast (1 packet)

1 tsp caster sugar

125ml of warm milk (1/2 cup)

15g of lard, softened (generous TBS)

pinch salt

1 medium free range egg, beaten

50g of butter, melted (1/4 cup)

50g of raisins (1/3 cup)

50g currants (1/3 cup)

50g sultanas (1/3 cup)

25g of mixed candied peel (1/4 cup)

50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup)

honey to glaze 

   

Grease an 8 inch round tin.   Put 50g (about 1/3 cup) of the flour into a bowl##/s.  Add the yeast, suar and milk.  Mix to a smooth batter and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes until frothy.    Drop the lard into the remaining flour and rub it in.  Add the salt, the yeast mixture and the beaen egg.  Mix to a soft dough.  Tip out onto a lightly floured board.   Kneat for about 5 minutes, until really smooth.   Place into a buttered clean bowl, cover with a clean damp cloth and allow to stand in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size. 

 

Knead again on a lightly floured board and then roll out to a 9 by 12 inch rectangle.  Brush the surface with the melted butter.   Sprinkle the dried fruit, candied peel and soft brown sugar evenly over top, leaving a narrow edge all the way around.  Roll up like a Swiss Roll (Jelly Roll)  (Roll from the long side.)  Brush the edges with water and seal carefully.   Cut into nine equal pieces and place the rolls, cut side up,  in the prepared tin.  Recover and leave in a warm place for a further half hour until well risen. 

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 6.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.   Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.  Brush the tops with honey while they are still warm.   To serve, pull apart and eat warm or cold, with or without butter.

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Caramel Glazed Toffee Loaf

I'm not sure what it is about the flavours of Toffee, Caramel  and Butterscotch that makes me go weak at the knees, but I know I am not alone in this.  They have long been favourites of many people and one only has to look at the proliferation of recipes for Salted Caramel anything on the internet these days to see just how popular that flavour is.

 

I am going to go out on a limb a bit here and say that these flavours are pretty similar . . .  toffee . . .  butterscotch . . . caramel.   All contain copious amounts of butter,  brown sugar and vanilla . . . so a rose by any other name and all that.  If there is much difference in flavour . . .   it's pretty insignificant. You can drop a few seasalt flakes on top and call it salted caramel, but it's the same basic thing.   My opinion only  of course!



When I was a girl my father always had a tub of butterscotch wafers in his top dresser drawer, along with his clean hankies, extra wallet and  extra reeds and corkgrease for his clarinet.   To this day I can go to my mom's house and open the dresser draw and be sent back in time with just one sniff . . .  leather, cotton, cork, bamboo, beeswax . . .  butterscotch.  Those are smells that instantly make me think of my dad.  I love them and I love him.



This cake is fabulous.   It's got a rich caramel/toffee flavour . . .  nice and buttery and studded with chopped wether's soft toffees that melt into the batter giving you little rich pockets of moreish butterscotch . . . it is dense and fudgy.



As soon as you remove it from the oven you poke some holes in it and spoon a brown sugar/vanilla glaze over top, allowing it to soak into the loaf . . .  once cooled it has a bit of a crunch.  Nice.

 

Once the cake is cooled you drizzle a butterscotch/caramel like icing glaze over top decoratively and scatter little fudge bits over top of the whole thing.    Are you sold yet?   I  bet your taste buds are tingling just at the thought.   Nice, nice with a hot cup of whatever floats your boat.

*Caramel Glazed Toffee Loaf*
Makes one large loaf

Printable Recipe 

A deliciously moist toffee studded loaf cake topped with a fabulous caramel glaze and lots of fudgy bits!  Scrumptious! 

For the loaf:

210g of plain flour (1 1/2 cups)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

200g of soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)

100g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)

115g of butter, softened (1/2 cup)

2 large free range eggs, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

120ml of whole milk (1/2 cup)

about 12 soft toffees, cut into bits (remove about 1 TBS of flour from the main measure and toss them with this.)

(such as the Werthers soft toffees) 

To glaze as soon as it comes out of the oven:

100g of brown sugar (1/2 cup)

1/2 tsp vanilla

boiling water 

For the Icing  glaze:

2 TBS butter

50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup packed)

1 TBS milk

100g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup) 

You will also need caramel fudge bits to garnish 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a large loaf tin, line with baking paper, leaving an overhand to lift out the finished cake.  Butter the paper.   Set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.   Cream together both sugars and the butter until light and fluffy.   Beat in the eggs, one at a time.   Add the vanilla to the milk.  Slowly beat in the flour mixture.  Stir in the milk to combine without overmixing.  Fold in the floured toffee bits to combine.   Scrape into the prepared loaf tin.  Smooth the top.   Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Whisk together the brown sugar, vanilla and enough boiling water to give you a really thin glaze.  Poke holes in the top of the warm cake with a toothpick and spoon this glaze over top a bit at a time, letting it soak in before you spoon more onto it, spooning it over all until it is all gone.

Allow the cake to sit in the pan for about 10 minutes before carefully lifting out to a rack to cool completely.

For the glaze, melt the butter and brown sugar together over low heat, stirring, until the brown sugar no longer feels gritty.  Beat together with the milk and icing sugar until you have a smooth drizzable icing.  You may need a bit more milk.  Drizzle this decoratively over top of the loaf and sprinkle with fudge bits before it sets.   Allow to set before cutting into slices to serve.   Delicious!

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Sweet Wholemeal Bannock

Well, January is certainly going out with a big bang!  We have had probably one of the mildest winter's on record (according to the weather people, it's still felt pretty cold to me!) and now Lady Winter has decided to remind us that she is boss by giving us a couple of really nasty days.   These days are perfect for staying inside all warm and cosy by the fire.



Time to put your feet up and sit snug as a bug with a nice hot drink, your favourite book and a nice warm slice of this delicious soda bread spread with lotsa butter and some of that sunshine strawberry jam you made last summer!

 

This soda bread is so easy to make and works up very quickly.  It's not that pretty.  Actually  . . .  I probably didn't quite knead it enough as I didn't want to toughen it, so mine is rather rough looking . . .  but made no difference to the taste or texture . . .  Just the outside!



It's an Irish Bannock.  Soda bread.  Bannock.   A rose by any other name.  My ex's Aunt Rita used to make the most lovely cheese bannock.  All by sight.  No recipe.  Delicious.  (She's still going strong, in her late 90's and probably still baking bannock every now and again.)

 

This has a beautiful light texture . . .  with a slight tang from the buttermilk.   (Oh don't you just adore things baked with buttermilk?)   A slight nuttiness from the wholemeal flour . . .  a little bit of sweet from the sugar.  Crisp crust.  Light and fluffy insides.  In short . . .  perfect.  Adapted from a recipe from the National Trust.

*Sweet Wholemeal Bannock*
Makes one 8 inch round loaf

Printable Recipe 

Wonderful served thinly sliced and warm with butter and jam.  The perfect Irish tea-time treat! 

350g of plain whole meal flour, sifted

100g of plain white flour, sifted (1/2 cup plus a scant 1/4 cup)

1 tsp baking soda

50g of butter, softened (1/4 cup)

2 dessert spoons of caster sugar (scant 3 TBS)

200ml of buttermilk (7 fluid ounces) 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter and line an 8 inch round baking tin.  (I used my Le Creuset casserole) 

 

 

Whisk the flours together with the soda.  Rub in the butter to a fine crumb.  Add the sugar.  Stir in the buttermilk to give you a soft, pliable dough.  You may need a bit more or less depending.  Tip out onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly.  Shape into an 8 inch round.  Drop into the tin.   Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. 

Remove from the oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool.  Serve warm, sliced and spread with softened butter.

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Cheesy Tuna Bake

The Toddster is always after me to cook using things that we have in our store cupboard.  He is always complaining about how much we have stored.   It is useless for me to explain to him that your cupboards may be full, but in a lot of cases they are full of ingredients that you put together with other things to make a meal . . .



For example.  I may have six jars of various different olives in my store cupboard, but we are not going to sit down and eat a jar of olives for supper . . . know what I mean?   It's the same with a tin of tomatoes, or tinned corned beef, tuna, etc.   You can use them for parts of a meal, but you will still have to go out and buy fresh ingredients to put with them.



He might be happy sitting down to a supper which consists of a tin of spam, a tin of new potatoes and a tin of green beans . . .  but it's not gonna happen if I have anything to say about it!  To me a store cupboard meal is like the one I am showing you here today.  I have used a tin of tuna from my store cupboard . . .  a package of pasta from my cupboard . . .  two economical ingredients to have stored in the house . . . and some mayonnaise and Dijon mustard which I pretty much always have in the house.



But I have added fresh ingredients such as sour cream,  milk and cheese to it, along with some frozen peas.  I do tend to have frozen peas in the freezer all the time as well.   But basically with any store cupboard, no matter how much you have stored in it . . .  you will still need fresh ingredients to put with them to make a meal.



It is slowly starting to sink into his male brain . . .  but men do take a lot of convincing at times . . .  and this is a man who basically ate out of tins before we got married.  For twelve years.  I know . . . the mind boggles.



This is a tasty casserole.  It's simple to make.  Easy.  Economical and delicious.  I think you will like it.  I like to buy expensive tuna . . .  yes, even in casseroles.  An old Italian woman once told me that if it wasn't albacore tuna it was garbage.   Old women know best.  Now I am an old woman and I am telling you . . .  albacore tuna is the best, flavour wise . . .  looks wise, etc.  This is where you really do get what you pay for and it's worth the little bit extra to buy quality.

 

*Cheesy Tuna Bake*
Serves 4 to 6

Printable Recipe  

A simple and easy casserole which is a store cupboard favourite and so delicious!   

500g of uncooked pasta (about a pound)

(You will want a shell type of pasta or a cupped pasta that will hold the sauce)

345g of sour cream (1 1/2 cups)

120g of good quality mayonnaise (1/2 cup)

180ml of milk (3/4 cup)

90g of grated Parmesan Cheese (1/2 cup)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp fine sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried dill

150g of frozen peas, unthawed (1 cup)

2 (200g) tin of good tuna, drained and flaked (2 6oz. tin)

4 spring onions, chopped

180g of grated cheddar cheese, divided (1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Butter a shallow large casserole dish.  Set aside.



Bring a lightly salted pot of water to the boil.  Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain and rinse.  Whisk the sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, Dijon mustard,  Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese together with the flaked tuna, spring onions, peas, dill and seasoning.   Fold in the cooked pasta.  Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish, smooth over and cover tightly with foil.   Bake for 40 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for a further five to ten minutes until the cheese melts.  Serve hot.

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Easy Steak and Peppers

I was lucky enough to get some Flank Steak last Saturday, a nice four pieces of it and all four pieces a really good size.  You don't often see Flank Steak here.  I froze three bits and then used the fourth bit to make us this delicious stir fry.  I also happened to have gotten a large bag of really nice peppers at the same time, so it just seemed the natural thing to do was to put them together.



I love meals like this.   They go together really quickly and all you really need on the side is a bit of rice.   Actually with this you may not even need rice because this steak and peppers is excellent on a toasted bun with a bit of cheese.   Just sayin . . .

 

Simple and uncomplicated the most time consuming part is cutting everything up, so once you have done that, the rest is a dawdle.  You will want to cook the meat in batches so that it actually browns instead of stews.  It's the browning that gives an extra depth of flavour.  I like to get the peppers a bit browned as well.  It's all good.  A bit of salt and pepper, some garlic powder and that's pretty much it.  I add some Kejap Manis, which is a sweet thick Indonesian soy sauce, but feel free to use tamari if you want.

*Easy Steak and Peppers*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

Quick and easy to make.   Deliciously colourful.   Simple flavours.  We like it with rice. It goes together really quickly once you have all of the vegetables and the meat sliced. 

3 TBS of sunflower oil, divided

1 large spanish onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced into half moons

2 each red, yellow and orange sweet bell peppers, trimmed and sliced thinly

3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons

1 pound of flank steak, sliced thinly across the grain (It helps if it is slightly frozen when you slice it)

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 TBS Kejap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

(alternately you can use tamari sauce) 

 

Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.   Add the onions and a bit of salt.   Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and translucent.   Scoop out into a bowl.  Set aside.   Add another tablespoon of the oil over high heat.   Toss inthe steak and brown quickly  (I do this in batches, scooping it out to the bowl as it is done.)  Add the last tablespoon of oil and add the peppers and shallots.    Cook over medium heat until the peppers and shallots have softened.  I like for them to brown a bit in places.   Add the beef and onions back to the pan, tossing all together.   Add the Kejap Manis and garlic powder.   Toss together, mixing thoroughly.   Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes to meld flavours. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.   Serve immediately.

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Sage Roasted Bangers with mash and onion gravy

I think Bangers (sausages) and Mash has to be the Toddsters favourite meal of all that I cook for him.  He loves a good meaty sausage.  He love a nice pile of fluffy mash and  . . .  he adores a nice onion gravy.   This meal ticks all the boxes for him and he is a very happy camper when I make it for him!




It goes without saying that you will want a nice and well flavoured meaty sausage for this.  After all, it IS the star of the show!  Never ever opt for a cheap and nasty sausage.  When you go for cheap and nasty, that is what you get.  When it comes to sausages . . .  you DO get what you pay for.



Cheap sausages are overloaded with fillers and fat . . . gristly bits . . .  with almost a pasty texture, which almost makes me want to gag.  I want to feel like I am eating somehing meaty . . .  not wall paper paste and sawdust stuffed into a tube, and not a nice tube at that.

 

When you bite into a quality sausage the difference is immediately apparent . . .  when that skin snaps beneath your teeth and they sink into beautifully textured and flavourful meat, you have reached sausage heaven.  (Today I picked some sage from my garden and roasted it with the sausages.  It was gorgeous.  I love sage, it is one herb that winters very well in our garden.  Sage and Sausage are a marriage made in heaven.)



I am a real fan of Heck Sausages myself (and no I have not been paid to say that.  It's simply the truth).  But any of the higher end sausages you see in the shops are sure not to disappoint and a good butcher's sausage that you buy at the Butcher shop itself, cannot be beaten.  Our local shop does a lovely sausage with caramelized onions in it.  Fabulous.



Which brings me to the second part of this fabulous meal.   A great onion gravy!  You cannot beat a good onion gravy.  This one I am showing you today benefits with a long slow cooking of the onions and the addition of some good balsamic vinegar and a bit of brown sugar.  It's sooooo good ladled over the potatoes and sausage.



Of course the final layer of this trinity of good taste is the mash.   Use a good floury potato that will break down nicely when you mash it . . .  giving you nice and dry fluffy potato . . .  ready and willing to soak up that butter and warm milk without becoming soggy.  You will end up with light and fluffy . . .  the perfect back drop for all that lovely meat and gravy.  No wonder this is a favourite of Todds!


 

*Sage Roasted Bangers with Onion Gravy and Mash*

Serves 4

Printable Recipe 

With proper planning and timing you can have a delicious sausage and mash supper on the table in not much more than half an hour.  This is the real deal.  The onion gravy is to die for. 

For the Sausage:

1 package of meaty and thick herbed pork sausages

(I like the heck sausages.  They're delicious)

a handful of fresh sage leaves

olive oil to drizzle  

For the Mash:

2 pounds of mealy mashing potatoes, peeled and quartered

(A russet or a Maris Piper, or Rooster Potato work well)

225ml of warm milk into which you have melted 50g of butter (1 cup of milk, 1/4 cup butter)
fine sea salt and ground white pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg  

For the Gravy:

a knob of butter

3 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons

3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons

2 TBS plain flour

2 TBS good balsamic vinegar

2 TBS brown sugar

450ml of good beef stock (2 cups)
fine sea salt and black pepper to taste    

  

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Place the sausages onto a baking tray, scattering the sage leaves amongst them.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss together with a bit of sea salt and black pepper.  Set aside.  

Put the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water to cover.  Set aside.  

Melt the knob of butter in a large skillet.  Once it begins to foam add the onions and shallots, cook over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, or until they are nicely softened without colouring. 

 

Bang the sausages into the oven and turn the burner on under the pot of potatoes and water.  Bring to the boil.  The sausages should take about 30 minutes to cook through.

Whisk the flour into the onions, cook and stir to meld in the flour.  Add the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and the beef stock.  Bring to the boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce to a slow simmer and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every now and again and taking care it doesn't catch.

Test the potatoes after about 15 minutes.  If they are fork tender, drain them.   Return them to the pan and shake them dry over the residual heat of the pan.   Mash them well, slowly adding enough of the milk and butter mixture to give you a consistency you like.  You may not need it all depending on the time of year and the typr of potato used.   Season to taste with some freshly grated nutmeg, salt and white pepper.  Set aside and keep warm.

 

Once the sausages have cooked through, remove them from the oven.  Divide the mash between 4 heated serving plates.  Top each mound of potatoes with a couple of sausages, some of the crispy sage leaves and a nice spoonful of onion gravy.  Pass the remaining gravy at the table.

I like to serve these with a green vegetable on the side.  (Green beans, sprouts, peas, cabbage, etc.)

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