Discovering The Beautiful Isle of Iona.
I don’t know if you’re like me , but every now and again a place inexplicitly moves you. For me the isle of Iona is one of those places.
Author: john.webber22
The Isle of Mull, Enchanting Scenery, and Stunning Wildlife.
If you are traveling to the west coast of Scotland don’t miss the chance of taking a trip over to the Isle of Mull. it’s the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides and easy to get to That makes it an ideal location for a few days of exploration or just relaxation. Very few places in Britain can complete with its combination of dramatic scenery, fantastic beaches and stunning wildlife.
Easy, Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake, With Mascarpone Cream
This Easy Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake is one of my favourite cakes. Great for making in advance as the flavour develops over a couple of days. The cake also becomes moister as the sugar in the cake absorbs moisture from the air. I sometimes make two at once and freeze one for later use.
It seems odd to many people that carrots find their way into desserts and baking. In fact, carrots were used in the Middle Ages as a source of sweetness. Recipes for carrot-based puddings can be found both in European and Asian cooking. Today the main examples remaining been Carrot cake, Christmas pudding and Indian Gajar Halva.
You will need.
- Mixing bowl
- Medium bowl
- Scales
- Fine sieve
- Silicone spatula
- Whisk, hand or electric
- Coarse grater
- Measuring jug
- Measuring spoons
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Vegetable peeler
- Loose bottomed Cake tin 20 x 10 cm
- Baking parchment
- Cooling wire
Easy Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake.
Serves 8.
Wet Mix
- 170ml vegetable oil
- 325g light soft brown sugar
- 3 large free-range eggs
- finely grated zest of 1 large orange
- finely grated zest of 1 large orange
Dry Mix
- 165g plain flour
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 90g chopped Walnuts
- 325g carrots, peeled and grated
Conventional oven175˚c/340˚f
Fan oven 160˚c/325˚f
Preparation.
Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature. Take your eggs out of the fridge well in advance to warm up. Then line a 20cm (8in) springform cake tin with baking parchment.
Tip. – Lightly greasing the baking tin before lining will help keep the paper in place. And make life a lot easier.
You can make this cake by hand, but an electric whisk will take all the hard work out of the mixing.
Wash the carrots then top, tail, and peel them. Grate the carrots using the coarse plate of a box grater until you have 325g.
Sift the flour raising agents, salt, and spices into a bowl and mix well.
If you can’t find ground cardamom, break down cardamom pods and pass then through a fine sieve. The best way of doing this is an electric spice, aka coffee mill.
Pick eight perfect walnut nut halves and put to one side for the decoration. Once you have done that, roughly chop the remaining nuts.
When all that’s done, turn on the oven to pre heat ready to receive the cake.
Making the batter- My method.
Put the eggs, orange zest and sugar into the medium bowl and whisk until well mixed, about two minutes. Slowly add the oil to the eggs whisking all the time. When all the oil has been added you should have a thick-ish batter.
Most recipes of this type simply mix the sugar and oil together in one go. I think this works better. Its more work, but the fat binds with the egg better if worked in slowly.
The final mixing.
Put the whisk to one side then sieve the flour/spice mix over the egg batter. Fold the flour into the batter using a spatula. Make sure you get right to the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the flour.
Fold the chopped walnuts and grated and carrots and mix well.
Pour in the cake mixture and bake in a preheated oven. Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. I prefer to use a conventional oven but a fan oven is fine. You may need to protect the top of the cake with tinfoil if the fan is very strong.
If you have a probe thermometer the core temperature should be between 93˚c (just cooked) and 98˚c (nearing over done).
Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the tin, before removing.
Finishing the Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake.
Traditionally the cake is usually finished with a soft butter cream icing which should be kept in the fridge. I prefer to finish the cake with an orange water icing and serve mascarpone cream dusted with walnut dust alongside the cake.
By using the water icing the cake can be kept in a box at room temperature which is the best way to serve it. Keeping the cake in the fridge will dry it out and spoil the texture.
To make the orange icing.
- 9tbsp sieved icing sugar
- 1tbsp strained orange juice
- 16 perfect walnut halves
Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Gradually add the orange juice and mix until you have a thick batter.
Spread onto the cake with the back of a spoon and set the walnut halves into the wet icing. Let the icing dry uncovered for at least half an hour before storing.
Mascarpone cream.
- 100g whipping cream
- 50g icing sugar
- Dash vanilla essence
- 180g mascarpone cheese.
If the mascarpone is quite wet, drain in a sieve for 15 minutes to remove any excess liquid. Be careful the keep the cheese as cold as possible.
Add the icing sugar to the cheese and beat until the cheese becomes quite soft.
Add the vanilla to the Mascarpone then stir in the cream.
Take a whisk and beat the mix until it holds a peak for a second then falls back. Take care not to over beat the t mixture or it may curdle. When you serve the cream give it one or two more beats of the whisk before use.
.
Can I freeze the cake?
Yes, the uniced cake freezes well. Fully defrost the cake before use and let the top dry before adding the water ice. The recipe multiplies up easily. So, bake a few at a time and freeze what you don’t need at once. That way you will be saving both energy and effort!!
Can I use the mascarpone cream on the cake instead of the icing?
Yes, use the recipe below, using butter instead of cream gives us a stiffer icing. Add the zest to the butter with the sugar. Then fold in the cheese and whisk well.
65g unsalted butter, softened
Good dash vanilla extract
125g mascarpone cheese
250g/8¾oz icing sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ an orange
Do I have to use Walnuts?
No, pecan nuts are a good alternative. Try sultanas soaked overnight in a drop of rum in place of the nuts, or just leave them out.
Want more ideas with carrots? look up http://britishcarrots.co.uk/
Enjoy Life !
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
How to Make Your Own Pork Sausages.
Home-Made Sausages are one of the most flexible foods we have available to us. Whether it’s a comforting plate of bangers and mash, fending off the cold weather. A quick buttered sausage roll as a snack or the compulsory BBQ sausage, it’s a year round go to treat.
Indulgent, Chocolate Brownies, easy to make, easier to eat.
These Chocolate Brownies never fail to please and rarely are there any leftovers. They are easy to make for a great dessert. Or afternoon treat.
My Essential 12 tips for a Successful Christmas Dinner.
Having a Successful Christmas Dinner.
Christmas is really a once-a-year dinner party. And this is my Essential 12 tips for a Successful Christmas Dinner, without all the stress.
As its only once a year we want to make it special for everybody. But often the day become a chore that YOU don’t enjoy and leaves you no time to enjoy the day with the family.
What’s worse is that dinner party guest are normally very polite and complimentary. Of course, at Christmas we have the pickiest guest of all – The family. So, lets guide you through some hints and tips so make the day less stressful, less work, and more fun!
And if it’s not Christmas? Read on, most of these tips equally apply to any dinner party.
12 tips for a Successful Christmas
- Having a Successful Christmas Dinner.
- 12 tips for a Successful Christmas
- Plan ahead.
- Make a time plan.
- Be clever with your starters.
- Work ahead.
- Peel and Chop vegetables the day before.
- Blanch green vegetables in the morning.
- Use a probe thermometer.
- Use a slow cooker for steamed puddings.
- Use a thermos flask for sauces.
- Fit in a good rest.
- Don’t try and plate the whole meal.
- Wash up as you go.
- And Finally – Keep off the wine, for now.
Plan ahead.
Don’t leave it until the week before to decide what you’re having for the meal. Remember that good looking starter you saw Jamie Thingamabob produce on TV last week? It may be a great dish, but can you make it in your kitchen? Do you have the right skills or even the right cookware to make it?
Always stick to something you know you can make and works in your kitchen. Don’t plan to roast everything, then find you don’t have enough oven space. Remember your Christmas KISS, (keep it simple, stupid).
If your still looking for ideas, don’t forget to check out our Christmas recipes.
Our Cranberry and Whisky Luxury Mince Pies.
The definitive Chestnut Stuffing.
Helston Pudding a light alternative Christmas pudding.
Make a time plan.
Now you know what you’re serving its time to make a time plan. This should start to when you need to order / buy the ingredients needed. Then work your way right through to putting the food on plates
Be clever with your starters.
Serve some snack and nibbles on the table as the family sit down. If you have ever eaten at a posh restaurant, you may have been served a complimentary ‘Amuse’ as you sit at the table. This originally was designed to sharpen the pallet for the meal, but the main reason may restaurant do this is to by time for then to prepare the starter and main course with you getting bored.
You can do the same thing just by laying out a few bought-in snacks and appointing someone to open the wine. You can now focus on the starter without the slow hand clap coming from the dining room.
Failing that, serve a cold starter that is already on the table before your guest sit down.
Work ahead.
Work as far ahead as you practically can. If you make your own stuffing, make it a couple of weeks ahead then freeze. If you’re roasting a chicken in the weeks before Christmas, put some chicken winglets (you can sometimes by turkey winglets in the butchers) in with the chicken. Get some fresh stock from the supermarket and make your gravy in advance. You guessed it, pop it into the freezer. Some desserts also freeze well or even make a frozen dessert the week before Christmas.
Make sure if you are freezing cooked food, it is completely cold before freezing.
Peel and Chop vegetables the day before.
Root vegetables can be peeled and cut up the day before. Peel your sprouts ready to cook Place a sheet of damp kitchen paper on top then cling film and they will be fine overnight. That means a great deal of time saved on the day, and less mess to deal with.
Blanch green vegetables in the morning.
Your firm green vegetables can be ‘Blanched’ in the morning ready to reheat later.
To do this have a large pan of boiling salted water ready on the stove. You will also need a bowl large enough to fit the vegetables three quarters full of iced water.
Drop the green vegetable into the boiling water and return the pan to the boil as quickly as possible. As soon as they are nearly done lift then from the pan into the iced water. When they are completely cold drain them well and dry them off on an old tea towel. Return the vegetables to the dried bowl then pour over a little melted butter. The butter should set on the outside of the veg at which point it can be transferred into microwavable containers. When needed reheat the vegetables in the microwave on half power (don’t nuke them on full power) ready to season and serve.
Use a probe thermometer.
For me, this an essential piece of kitchen kit. I could spend all day discussing its benefits. For Christmas, its mainly making sure our meats are not over or under cooked
Turkey needs to be cooked all the way through whereas red meats like venison and beef don’t.
If you have bought a frozen bird, it must be completely thawed before cooking, and that’s harder than you think. Don’t however stick it in the bath or on top of the radiator as I have heard people doing. It will probably take a couple of days in the fridge. And put some kitchen paper around to absorb moisture. Follow the same basic rules as cooking chicken.
Don’t cook your turkey trussed up, it makes the legs difficult to cook through. When the bird has It’s estimated time push the probe of the thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and the thigh. It you get a reading of 74-75˚c, its cooked.
Use a slow cooker for steamed puddings.
If you are having Christmas pudding or any steamed pudding like my Helston pudding it can take up valuable hob space. Slow cookers are not all that slow nowadays so why not use it to cook the pudding.
Make sure it’s been fully warmed up and filled with boiling water before you pop in the pudding.
Use a thermos flask for sauces.
When you have made or re-heated your gravy pour it into a clean, pre heated thermos flask. It will happily sit there until you are ready to serve. Less mess and one less thing on the hob.
N.B. this works well for custard or any sauce you need to store hot.
Fit in a good rest.
I’m thinking here of the meat not you. But if you have been clever with your time plan a break should be possible.
Meats need time to recover from the stresses of cooking. I would aim to rest by turkey for at least 45 minutes before carving.
No, it won’t get cold but keep it out of a drafts. Lay a piece of foil over the bird, but don’t wrap it up like a Christmas present. Think of it this way. If it’s been in a red-hot oven for two hours, is it going to cool down in a few minutes? No. In fact meat continues to get hotter in the few minutes after cooking is completed. Check it with your thermometer if you don’t believe me!
Don’t try and plate the whole meal.
The full Christmas dinner can be a heck of a lot of items on one plate. Don’t try and get all of them onto the plate at once. By the time you have done that the food will be cold, and your guest fallen asleep. Rope in a spare pair of hands to distribute stuffing or chipolatas. Place the vegetables in warm bowls on the table so your guests can serve themselves. Get the meat and stuffing onto the plate with some gravy to keep it warm and serve. The bowls of vegetables will keep hot for some time.
Wash up as you go.
Wash up your utensils as you go. If you’re in the habit of pudding dirty items in the sink, you can guarantee the item you need is at the bottom of the sink. Also, if you need to drain anything, you can’t, its already full of equipment. I prefer to keep the dishwasher for the plates and cutlery, but you may be able to fit in a dishwasher load before the meal begins.
And Finally – Keep off the wine, for now.
Its amazing how many people associate cooking and drinking together. Its better to keep eating and drinking together. Resist that glass or two of wine when getting the meal ready. It’s the only recipe you don’t need, and that’s disaster! Keep yourself, focused and steadily work down your time plan.
Once you’re at the table, there’s plenty of time to catch up.
Enjoy Life! and have a Wonderful Christmas.
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
Try A Beautifully Light Helston Pudding, My Easy Christmas Dessert.
Beautifully light Helston Pudding. It’s easy to make comfort food which makes a light alternative to Christmas Pudding. I have put in a couple of minor changes to make it even more Christmassy, and served it with an orange brandy sauce.
Making The Best Basil Pesto.
Learn how to make the best Basil Pesto. Simple tips and tricks to get the best from this classic sauce.
Make your own Easy Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce.
Make your own Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce, it’s easy! You simple can’t buy a ready-made sauce that compares with a homemade fresh tomato sauce. Processing spoils the fresh flavour of the sauce and adds in preservatives. And the best thing- as I said, it’s dead easy to make.
The ideal is to make this in season with home grown ripe tomatoes. I have used my San Marzano Tomatoes from the polytunnel. As they have more flesh and less seeds than a traditional tomato. But don’t despair, normal main crop tomatoes will do fine.
If you don’t have home grown tomatoes, don’t use shop bought unless you have a good farm shop close by. You can used tinned, but buy the best. I use Muti Tomatoes ether tinned whole or as Poppa which is produced purposely for making sauces.
How to peel (blanching) tomatoes.
So, if you need to remove the tomato skins, here’s how to do it.
Using the tip of a small knife carefully remove the core of the tomato about 1.5 cm deep. The turn the tomato over and make a small shallow cut through the skin. Repeat this will all the tomatoes to be peeled
Fill a medium sized saucepan two thirds full of water and bring to the boil.
Have a large bowl of cold water ready with plenty of ice added.
Take your slotted spoon or spider and lower two tomatoes into the water and cook for 10 seconds. When the time is up lift the tomatoes out the boiling water directly into the iced water.
Let the tomatoes cool for a few moments then lift them out onto a plastic tray to drain. Test one of the fruits to see if the skin will peel off easily. If its stubborn give the next two tomatoes 12 seconds cooking, but don’t go over that time.
If the skin is mushy and just slides straight off reduce the cooking time by a couple of seconds. Once you are happy, repeat the process with all the tomatoes to be skinned.
After the first have a dozen tomatoes, all that steam and dripping water you will be wishing you had a Moulin!!
The Best Kitchen Gadget.
My personal recommendation for making soups and sauces is to obtain a food mill known in kitchens as a Moulin. It’s one of my favourite pieces of kitchen equipment. They have been around even longer than me. And have been tried and tested in thousands of kitchens across the world. Basically, it’s a mechanical sieve with different plates supplied that dictate the finish of the food you are processing. Pop the food in, turn the handle and the finished product if squeezed out of the bottom. If you’re old enough to remember these were popular for making baby food years ago.
They can be bought in various sizes but a size of 200cm to 250cm will be fine for most people. If you are a lover of mashed potato a moulin is a must. Go for a slightly larger size.
I know you’re thinking why bother? Well by using the moulin it not only gives me my finished sauce consistency. It also filters out the skins and any hard pieces of tomato or basil stalks. This saves all the bother of skinning the tomatoes before cooking.
Whatever you do, don’t use a blender, it adds air to the sauce and changes the flavour closer to a processed sauce.
Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce.
You will need.
A wide shallow pan (not aluminium)
Spatula
Chopping board and knife
Medium bowl
Potato masher or Similar
Food mill (moulin) if available
If skinning the tomatoes.
Slotted spoon or spider
Med sized saucepan
Large bowl of cold water and ice
Plastic tray
Makes approx. 650ml.
800g ripe tomatoes
2 plump cloves of garlic
4tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
Large bunch of fresh basil
Black mill pepper
Optional pinch oregano
Making the Sauce.
Peel the garlic then cut in half longways, removing any green shoots visible. Finely chop the garlic (don’t crush) and add to the cold pan with the olive oil.
Treat your garlic with care.
It’s important to chop and not crush the garlic. Crushing the cloves will expand the flavour of the garlic where it will begin to overtake the tomatoes. We need the garlic to enhance the tomatoes not to dominate them.
Slice the tomatoes into wedges and place into a bowl.
Place the pan over a low heat and watch the garlic begin to sizzle in the oil. We are going to gently cook the garlic in the oil for three to four minutes to release the flavour. It’s crucial that the garlic does not burn, or your sauce will be spoilt. Even if you think you may have just lightly burnt it, throw it away and start again, before adding the tomatoes.
When the garlic is ready, add the tomatoes and bring to the simmer over a medium heat. Add the salt and a couple of turns of mill pepper, then pop on the lid.
Cook the sauce for fifteen minutes then remove the lid and crush the tomatoes with a potato masher. Don’t overdo it yet, we just want to extract all the juices from the flesh.
Add the bunch of basil, stalks and all and mix in. A pinch of oregano can also be added if wished. Continue simmering the sauce for about 15 minutes or so until it thickens.
Processing the Fresh Tomato Pasta Sauce.
If you are using a moulin, set it over a bowl with the large or medium plate fitted. The basil can me removed if you like a pure tomato sauce, but I leave it in. You will get bits of basil floating around in the sauce, But I don’t mind that. Pour the sauce into the moulin and turn the handle clockwise. Use a spoon the move the contents around a little every 6 to 8 turns of the handle.
Once all the sauce is though remember to catch any sauce sticking to the bottom of the plate. Turn the moulin over and give it a scrape off. All the skins, and stalks will be held in the moulin and can be thrown away.
If you are not using a moulin remove the basil. Take the pan off the heat and break the sauce down with the potato masher until you are happy with the consistency.
Whichever method you use all that’s left is to check the seasoning. Ether reheat the sauce to use at once or cool the sauce over iced water before storing in the fridge. You can also freeze the sauce; I think it loses a bit of freshness, but still better than from a jar. It’s a great way of using up an excess of tomatoes from the garden
Why does my sauce looks pale and insipid?
Your tomatoes are just not up to the job. If when you cut them open they have a pale colour below the skin it’s a sign they have been artificial ripened and will lack flavour. Add some good quality tinned tomato (see above) to the sauce to help the flavour.
How can i give my sauce more punch?
Try adding a pinch of dried chilli flakes and just a dash of Worcester sauce. But don’t overdo it!
Can i use this sauce for anything other than pasta?
Absolutely, It’s great with vegetable dishes or used as a quick base for a curry.
If you want to use it with meats like chicken, try this.
Add one finely chopped red onion into the pan with the garlic. Use half the oil and cook the onions for five minutes over a low heat.
Add the tomatoes with 35g of butter a pinch of dried chilli flakes and just a small amount of basil.
Cook as before but use the medium plate on the moulin to give a smoother sauce.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
How to make your own Tomato and Chilli Jam.
Easy to make Tomato and Chilli Jam. One taste and your hooked! Great with meats and shellfish. The possibilities are endless
How to Make Blackberry Jelly, and why fruit jellies work.
Want to know how to make Blackberry Jelly? It’s not that difficult, and so satisfying to make the best of the (free) autumn harvest.
Free Up Breakfast with a Berry Fruit and Oat Smoothie.
Why not start your day with this Berry Fruit and Oat Smoothie. There’s no better time of year to make this smoothie and free up breakfast geting the day off to a good start. All the goodness of fresh fruit with the health benefits of natural honey and oats.
Once you have your ingredients to hand its quick to make and any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a day or two. If you’re making this to drink straight away have everything as cool as possible to keep the smoothie chilled. Why not have everything in the blender jug the night before and kept in the fridge. That way breakfast is ready in a wink.
You will need.
Hand blender with goblet
Tablespoon
Cutting board and knife
Tall tumbler to serve the smoothie in.
Measuring spoons
Berry Fruit and Oat Smoothie.
Makes roughly 600ml.
Stage one.
4 tbsp rolled oats
150ml milk , (any milk will do, I use skimmed, but go full fat if you wish).
Stage two.
Small ripe banana
3-4 tbsp runny honey
90g strawberries, about 8-10
150ml natural yoghurt (not set – full fat or light as you wish)
The night before,
Take the hand blender goblet or a tall narrow jug. Add the milk and the oats, give it a stir, cover with cling film and pop into the fridge overnight. If you forget, don’t worry. Leave the oats to soak in the milk for twenty minutes or so while you enjoy a cup of coffee.
When the oats are soaked, peel and slice the banana and add to the jug. Remove the stems of the strawberry’s, cut them in half and add to the jug followed by the raspberries.
Add the honey to the fruit. You can warm it slightly if its too thick.
Spoon the milk and oats onto the fruit,then pour the yogurt into the jug.
Take the hand blender and begin to blend the contents of the jug. Just blend the contents enough to be smooth. Over blending berry fruits can break down the seeds and produce a slight bitterness. A common mistake when making a raspberry coulis.
Pour the smoothie into a chilled glass and decorate with a swirl of yoghurt and some berries if you want to be posh.
Then just tuck in! And don’t worry if you’re reading this in the depths of winter. It works great with frozen berries.
Enjoy Life!
John.
Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.
Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.
If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here
©John Webber. 2023
Simple, Summertime Courgette and Tomato Tarts
Its mid-summer, the tomatoes are ripening, and the courgettes are going wild. These Courgette and Tomato Tarts are an ideal way of using up this seasonal bounty. And impressing your guests.
Discovering Appin, a Scottish haven of peace, and magic.
Discovering Appin, a haven of peace and magic. If you’re taking a stay in Oban, take advantage of the wealth of places to visit just a short dive out of town.