A Suggestion/Offer/Request Kind of Thing!

I was wondering if you could do me a favour in a kind of “you scratch my back .... etc" way!  I have just published another ebook in my Genius Recipes series and would be grateful if you would have a look at it and then review on Amazon and perhaps Goodreads   for me. 

It is now available on Amazon here but if you would like a review copy in PDF then please just click here and I’ll send you a link. Once you've received it you could even convert it for your kindle here   , now I can’t say fairer than that, can I? This is a “time sensitive offer” only open till 100-ish people sign up, so go for it  - now!

This started out being just my scone recipe, some guidelines on how to make great scones plus a few recipes but it grew and flourished into all sorts of ways to use the same dough. I've had a helluva time testing them, I can tell you; day after day eating rock cakes and maple syrup dumplings, chocolate filled doughnuts and cobblers, tarts, turnovers, tatins etc.

As I have said before and will no doubt say again reviews on Amazon and Goodreads are the lifeblood of us indie writers. Having said that I am as guilty as anyone of not bothering to review (in fact I am off right now to review Marcus Bawdon’ Smoky & the Wood Pit: 20 Totally Awesome Smoky Recipes”  but please do as I say and not as I have been prone to doing!

In other news ...

~   Still good weather, at least it is here in Cornwall, so we went blackberrying yesterday. It is, of course, important in Cornwall to get your blackberries in early before the Devil has spat on them. Nevertheless, we are going to risk it and pick some more next week because these berries seem to be very confused; some black, some red and some still green so there should be plenty more.

And, of course, if you haven't already done so please download your Free eBook "219 Cooking Tips & Techniques"  which includes link for "Easy Ways to Pimp your Food" (also free!).

Just click here for more info and links

Great Idea for Leftover Pancakes

Today is …

  

“  …the pinnacle for carrot lovers all around the world. It is the day when the carrot is celebrated through carrot parties and other carrot related festivities.”

carrotday.com

Yes, today's the day; International Carrot Day 2014 so I thought I’d write all sorts of interesting things about carrots, only … well I think I've already written almost everything I can think of! 

In my book Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers I give nine ideas for spare carrots including this piece of advice.

I have also blogged about delicious roasted carrots here where I give five more ideas including Carrot Vinaigrette with which I am particularly pleased.  

So despite today being such a biggie I’ve decided to tell you about what I did with a couple of leftover pancakes, the crèpe type.

You may remember that on Pancake Day (the UK one!) I recreated a wonderful meal I had eaten in France involving buckwheat galettes..  Well yesterday I had exactly the same meal again, Galettes de Sarrasin with a creamy scallop and leek filling. As my real man doesn't go for this sort of fancy cooking I had several pancakes left over.

Leftover Pancakes

I reheated a couple in a dry frying pan and had them with maple syrup, of course, for breakfast.

I then tried to recreate something else I ate in France - Oreillettes which I thought meant small ears but apparently means headset, ear flap, ear phone!  Not so whimsical and poetic and also a strange name for a traditional dish, but c'est la vie. This is what they looked like in France …

… and I took them to be deep fried pancakes which they are not. Mine are though!

Here's the recipe for real Oreillettes, which are an orange flower and citrus scented dough rolled thin and fried. I’ll give the real things a go soon.

My fried pancakes, however, worked out really well eaten whilst hot and crisp and sprinkled with sugar.  I still had a few scraps left so fried those as well and here they are on top of some Coffee Sorbet I had left in the freezer after writing my recent little ebook “Sorbets & Granitas” 

 A nice idea, I thought. It makes me wish I was still cheffing so I could surprise the punters!

In Other News

We Hate to Waste, a website in America dedicated to the no waste lifestyle with loads of interesting ideas and info (and I really am not just saying that) have done me the honour of featuring my book and my humble self on their blog . Have a look, even if you don’t read the bit about me I think you’ll enjoy browsing the site.

8 and a Bit ways to Cope with an "Unwanted" Bottle of Port

Yesterday was lovely weather.  No, honestly, it was. 

My darling and I made our annual pilgrimage to the Allen Valley to wander among the bluebells and be amazed.

He then went for a long and manly cycle ride and I went to my friend's house for a delicious lunch and a girly chat.  As we were leaving she gave us a bottle of Port because she said neither she nor he husband drink it.  What a shame, how sad, yippee!

We do drink it but I feel this is an ideal opportunity to write about other uses for "unwanted" port. Before I come up with all sorts of creative ideas, however, if you haven't already I urge you try port with blue cheese, it's an excellent combination.

The grapes in this picture have been sautéed - see here for more info. 

8 and bit other uses for Port ...

Please pin!

1.   Blue cheese pâté 

This is a good way to use leftover blue cheese and cheese scraps in general; if the cheese is soft mash it with a spoonful of port, if firm grate first and then mash it together with a spoonful of port!  A little or a lot of freshly ground pepper is good in this.

2.   Add a splash of port to pan sauce after cooking duck or pigeon or even lamb. Here's how to quickly and easily make a delicious pan sauce.

3.   Stir into Cranberry Sauce.

4.   Add to caramelised red onions or whole glazed onions for the final few minutes of cooking. 

5.   Make a marinade for Lamb or Game - equal parts of red wine, port and olive oil flavoured as you will with garlic, black pepper and fresh herbs.

6.   Strawberries are happy with a spoonful of port stirred in (plus maybe a sprinkling of black pepper!)

7.   Add port syrup to poaching fruit - pears, figs and dried prunes spring to mind.

8.   Port Syrup

~   Put equal quantities of port and sugar into a small deep pan and stir over medium low heat till the sugar has dissolved.  "They do say" to brush any sugar grains from the  sides of the pan with damp brush but I never bother.  

~   When the liquid is clear turn up the heat till it boils and then turn it down again and simmer till thick which takes about 5 minutes.  During this stage of the proceedings, don’t stir it but do pay attention.  
~   The syrup is ready when it forms a thread if you drip a little off the spoon.  If you have a sugar thermometer you are aiming for 223˚- 235˚F which is 106˚ - 112˚ C.  I usually stop cooking at the lower temperature so that the syrup is still a bit runny when chilled.

This is great on strawberries, brushed over fruit tarts to glaze, drizzled over blue cheese or, even better, drizzled over my Blue Cheese Ice Cream 

The recipe for this is in my book Luscious Ice Creams without a Machine ... or much time or effort or having to mash the stuff as it freezes.

Add a little to appropriate sorbet recipes such as strawberry, blackberry and cranberry or make ...

9.   Port & Chocolate Sorbet!

Stir together 2 parts room temperature port syrup and 1 part room temperature melted dark chocolate.  Churn in an ice cream machine or freeze in a shallow container, mashing from time to time for a smooth finish (if you fail in this department call it Port and Chocolate Granita).

For more sorbet recipes see my ebooklet which is appropriately named "Sorbets & Granitas".

Speaking of both Leftovers and Books - my book on leftovers, originally called The Leftovers Handbook is now its 2nd edition and called Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers.  It contains many ideas for leftover wines, fortified wines, spirits, beers and cider plus literally 100s of other leftovers!

Easy yet Delicious Caesar Salad Dressing for Cheats!

I have a forgetful friend who, having once tasted my Caesar Dressing asked for the recipe every few moths for several years, bless her.  I think she may have nailed it now as I haven’t had to remind her for quite a while.

Having the second half of the romaine lettuce I cooked the other day and a couple of slices of prosciutto in the fridge my sudden lunch is obvious.  I haven’t had Caesar Salad since I was last in the islands where it is a staple, due to the strong American influence (even though I lived in the British Virgin Islands!), and almost compulsory on a menu in one form or another.

I think this is a quasi cheat – I do start out making a proper Caesar dressing but then I suddenly deviate and add a good old dollop of ready made mayonnaise at the end.  I find this makes for a creamier consistency which clings to the lettuce even more deliciously than the real stuff AND there is no raw egg involved which is great if you want to keep a batch for a while or are of an infirm inclination.

Easy Caesar Dressing

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 oz shredded Parmesan

2-3 anchovies

juice of half a lemon

dash of Worcestershire sauce

good grind of black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp mayonnaise

~   In a food processor or liquidiser blend together all the ingredients down to and including the olive oil.

~   When smooth add the mayonnaise and give it a quick whizz.

~   Taste and season but I doubt it will need anything – almost definitely not salt.

Incidentally see here for 37 more delicious
 ways to flavour mayonnaise

Once you’ve got this in your fridge making a great Caesar Salad is a doddle.  All you need is some salad leaves (crunchy are best, romaine/cos is traditional) and a handful of croutons . To make a meal of it top with grilled chicken or crispy bacon or, as I did, a little frazzled prosciutto (just tear up some Parma ham and fry till crisp in a little olive oil).

Caesar Dressing can be used in several other dishes too! 

~   Try it as a dressing on potato salad, maybe with a little more mayonnaise
~   Use as a sauce in a chicken sandwich or wrap
~   Drizzle over baked fish  
~   Mash some into baked potato
~   Use as a dipping sauce for crudités 

The other day my friend Carol had quite a lot of leftover melon and as, like me, she doesn’t like waste so she had an inspiration … give it to me!  

I left it in the fridge for a while, forgetting about it for large stretches of time, till yesterday when I realised that I was in a use it or lose it situation.  I made a sudden sorbet.  This is what I did, it seems to have worked.

Cantaloupe & Lime Sorbet

350g coarsely chopped cantaloupe melon

90g caster sugar

zest and juice of 1 lime

~   Purée the lot all together, bung in a plastic container and freeze.

~   Every hour or two take the sorbet out of the freezer and mash it with a fork.

That’s it – if you don’t mash it you’ll have a granita which is OK too. For a lot more info on making sorbets and granitas see my very cheap and appropriately named little ebook "Sorbets & Granitas".

I had a smidgen of this as a palate cleanser, as one does, after my salad but I think it would also be good with a spoonful of ginger wine poured over it OR the same mixed in with it before freezing which would make it more softly scoopable. 

~  In Other News  ~

The Hounds of Geevor

I often see these chaps when I’m wandering round Padstow so thought I’d give them a mention. 

Geevor in West Penwith was one of the last deep tin mines in Cornwall and it closed in 1991. Talented recyclist David Kemp used the discarded miners’ wellies to create a pack of hounds; the Hounds of Geevor (cannus stannus geevoritii) who, rumour has it, wander the cliffs of Cornwall looking for a proper job.  (That is a Cornish joke which may not be understood by most people – sorry!)