Irresistibly Easy, Chocolate Custard Cookies
These Chocolate Custard Cookies are so easy to make, which is a good job as they don’t last long when people start tucking in. They are great just served as a cookie adults and children both love them.
These Chocolate Custard Cookies are so easy to make, which is a good job as they don’t last long when people start tucking in. They are great just served as a cookie adults and children both love them.
This Thai Chicken and Prawn Soup for me sums up the joy of Thai cooking. Been both fresh and light yet with plenty of substance in the flavour department.
Making your own Exotic Flavoured Gin at Home. If you are a lover of long cool drinks, then this is for you. They are easy to make and all you really need is some space to store the gin while it is steeping and the patience not to get stuck in too quickly. I always fill some 250ml bottles to use as Christmas presents, always welcome gifts. If you are interested in Scottish Gin production look up the Scottish Gin Distillers Map. or our local distillery Pixel Spirits in Ballachulish.
This is another one of my late Summer /Autumn jobs to take advantage of the abundance of wild and cultivated fruit available. And don’t just stick to my suggestions, experiment by using different fruits and spices added to the spirit.
As for the gin itself, don’t use the very best as any subtle flavours will be masked by the fruit. But likewise, don’t use very cheap harsh gin, any middle of the road brand will do.
Quite simply the aim is to extract the flavour and juices of the fruit and flavourings into the base gin. Where you are dealing with a skin on the fruit such as sloes it is necessary to pierce the skin to allow the flavours to escape the fruit into the spirit. Make sure all the bottles and jars you use are clean and sterile. If you’re not sure how to do this look up our information on Home Preserving, The golden rules.
Sugar is normally added to sweeten the gin and counter any bitterness from the fruit. I like to use the sugar in some of my recipes to extract more flavour. By mixing the fruit with the sugar. Then leaving it to stand in the storage jar before adding the liquid natural curing will take place. The sugar will draw liquid from the fruit, and I believe produce more flavour.
The gin is now added to the fruit and sugar. Seal the jar and turn the jar back and forth three or four times to mix all the ingredients together. Don’t worry if all the sugar hasn’t dissolved it will in time. Every day for the next week, take the jar from the cupboard and turn it a couple of times to give it a mix. By the end of the week all the sugar should have disappeared. Don’t be tempted to mix the contents with a spoon as this will break up the fruit too much.
Leave the jars in a cool dark place for at least five weeks, I like to give mine about 8-9 weeks.
When ready we need to strain off the gin. The best way to do this is to use a double thickness of muslin cloth supported in a sieve. Gently decant the contents of the jar into the sieve and let the liquid drip down into a clean bowl. A gentil shake of the cloth from time to time will assist the liquid in draining through.
When recipes ask for muslin to be used to strain a liquid, they never explain how to use it. Well, here’s how. Always buy more muslin than you think you need and don’t cut it into small sections. Bear in mind that you may be using it doubled over and it has to line your container plus have plenty to work with as an overlap.
Now here’s the key. Don’t use the muslin from new. The weave of the cloth will be too coarse to be effective. Give the cloth a hot wash, followed by a tumble dry. This is the one instance in life where we want our cloth to shrink. This will not only clean the cloth but tighten up the weave giving better filtering of liquid passed through it.
When finished give the cloth a hot wash and dry completely before storing to use again.
Follow the process above, taking care to remove any mouldy fruit before you start. Leave the fruit and sugar to cure for 30 minutes then add the gin. I cheat a bit here and when straining the gin. I lightly press the fruit in the muslin. This gets very bit of fruit juice into the finished gin. Try this with Raspberries as well, great as a summer cooler.
Wash the rhubarb and thinly slice across the stalk. Add to a jar with the sliced ginger and sugar then add the gin. Then proceed as per the process above.
Wash the fruit then with the point of a small knife stab though the skin all over. Cut each plum in half and remove the stone. Mix the fruit ginger and sugar in a jar and leave 30 minutes before adding the gin.
A more complex slightly spiced gin.
Wash the fruit and stab each one about 15 to 20 times with the point of a small sharp knife.
Pack the fruit and flavourings into sterile preserving jar and add the sugar.
Give the jar a shake and leave to stand a couple of hours.
Add the gin, seal the lid then shake again to dissolve the sugar.
A real classic
This is one to make in front of the television. Wash the sloes then using a needle prick each fruit at least five times. Add the fruit to a jar with the sugar and shake well.
Leave the jar to stand for at least two hours before adding the gin then follow the standard procedure shown above.
Serve the gin with your favourite mixer, I tend to go for ether Tonic water or lemonade. Both the Sloe and Bramble gins are great served neat as a winter warning tipple. Although watch out, they are stronger than you think !!
No not at all, in fact freezing the fruit breaks down the cell structure releasing the flavours. You may find the gin has some sediment from the fruit, but this is easily filtered out before bottling.
As we have added fruit juices to the spirit. I like to look at a year as a maximum storage time. So, I’m making my gin now to drink next year. Kept longer than that you may find some change in colour, but is should still be drinkable. If you see and fermentation (bubbles) in the gin, don’t drink it!
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
Baking your own Bread at home can be a puzzle, let us help you answer your questions. All you need to know to bake great bread at home is here.
8 Easy Summertime Fruit Drinks for all the family. If you are having a barbeque or just lying back enjoying the summer sun, there is nothing better than having a long cool drink on hand.
Halfway between a drink and a slush this Raspberry Slush Cooler is a hit with children and adults alike.
In fact, you can serve it both ways at once. Spoon the sieved base into small containers as a raspberry slush for the children. Then simply dilute the rest of the slush into drinks for the adults.
Using frozen raspberries rather than fresh creates an instant slush directly from the blender. No artificial flavours or sweeteners and of course available all year around if you fancy a quick treat. If you have them freeze the sieved slush in ice-lolly moulds for a frozen treat.
Why not try serving a small glass of slush or mall ice lolly as a pre-dessert for your next dinner party? Keeps the guests amused while you finish off their dessert at your own pace.
And don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more summertime drinks.
Place the raspberries still frozen into the blender. Add the fruit juices and stock syrup.
Using the pulse control blend the contents together carefully. Don’t overdo the blending or the seeds will be broken up, spoiling the flavour.
Tip the contents of the blender into a fine sieve and press the juices through by rubbing the sieve with the back of a small ladle.
This will give you a thick ice cold slush that can be stored in the fridge for up to four days or used at once
To serve add the sparkling mineral water to the juices, throw in a handful of ice cubes and serve.
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
This Elderflower, Apple, and Mint Fizz is the easiest of all our summertime drink recipes. No special equipment needed and only takes a couple of minutes to make. So, it’s a great standby if friends turn up unexpectedly and need a quick cooling drink.
Classic Fruity Iced Tea, the flavour of tea with a hint of citrus to cool you down. The infusion is made the day before, then allowed to chill overnight.
This Coconut and Pineapple Cooler works in a similar way to our Creamy Mango Milkshake. The sharpness of the Pineapple and lime is offset with the richness of the coconut milk and sweetness of the syrup.
We are using rich (full fat) coconut milk, so this is not exactly a diet option. But look on the bright side and focus on all that fresh fruit you are having……
Don’t try the recipe with the low fat (light) coconut milk, it will be disappointingly thin and sharp.
And don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more summertime drinks.
Firstly, make sure you have a ripe pineapple. if you are not sure if the pineapple on offer is ripe, give it a stiff. If you don’t get that sweet rich pineapple smell, it’s not ripe. However, you may not want to be seen sniffing a pineapple in the shop. No Problem, try pulling out one of the smaller leaves in the crown of the fruit. If it comes out easily it’s probably ok. Keep these leaves to garnish the glasses later.
Peel the pineapple, keeping back some slices to garnish the glasses. Cut the rest of the fruit into small chunks and place into the blender. Add the ice cubes then grate the zest of the limes over the top and squeeze out the juice.
Pour the coconut milk and syrup on top of the fruit and pop on the lid. Before you start the machine, it’s a good idea to place a tea towel and your hand on the lid.
Apply a little downward pressure as you start the machine. This will prevent the lid flying off and you wearing, rather than drinking the cooler.
Blend for a minute or two when you should have a thickened slush. Don’t worry if there are some small pieces of pineapple still showing.
It’s a a good idea to pass the blended cooler through a fine sieve. The fibre of the fruit will still be intact spoiling the smoothness of the drink. Use the back of a small ladle to rub the liquid through the sieve. This is the best way to get as much of the smooth liquid through the sieve as possible.
Pour into glasses and garnish with some thin slices of pineapple, one or two leaves from the crown and a sprig of mint.
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
Drinking Chilled Watermelon Lemonade brings back memories of sitting back in the sun, eating chilled watermelon slices.
As with most of these cooler recipes the base can be made in advance and finished later. We are adding soda water and stock syrup to the watermelon juice to add sweetness and fizz. If that’s not to your liking try using a good quality lemonade to mix with the watermelon juice.
This Easy Creamy Mango Milkshake is a guaranteed hit with the kids, and who doesn’t like a milkshake?
This Easy, Family Citrus Peach Cooler takes just a few minutes to make using ingredients you may already have in the house.
Rillettes are a type of coarse French potted meat. The meats are cooked long and slow then broken down, almost like pulled pork. Don’t expect a nice smooth pateˊ this is a meat eaters paradise. Served with toasted sourdough bread and ideal taken on a picnic.