Want to be Baking your own Bread? Your Questions Answered.
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.
Tag: home made
8, Easy Summertime Fruit Drinks for all the family
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.
How to Make, Elderflower, Apple and Mint Fizz.
Elderflower, Apple, and Mint Fizz.
This delicious 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.
Don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more summertime drinks.
Elderflower Cordial.
The elderflower cordial may be the only ingredient you don’t already have. The good news is that its easy to find with most supermarkets having it available. If you have never tried it, I would recommend you give it a try. Its more versatile than you think and can be used in baking, salad dressings and of course cocktails. Try a fruit salad of chilled melon sprinkled with the cordial – fantastic.
You will need.
- Chopping board and knife
- Mixing jug
- Suitable stirrer
Elderflower, Apple, and Mint Fizz.
Makes 1.2lt
- 70ml elderflower cordial
- 500ml apple juice
- 1 Granny smith’s apple, sliced.
- 2tsp lemon juice
- 6 – 8 mint leaves
- 600ml sparkling mineral water
Pick the mint leaves and roll each one in your fingers. You don’t want to crush them, just lightly bruise the leaves. This will release some of the flavour without been too strong.
Wash and thinly slice the flesh off the apple working around the core Pop the sliced apple and mint leaves into a jug and pour the apple juice over the top.
Add the elderflower cordial, and lemon juice then mix well. Top up the jug with the sparkling mineral water and ice cubes.
Serve as cold as possible in chilled glasses with some of the apple slices and 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
How to Make, Coconut And Pineapple Cooler, Quick, And Refreshing.
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.
How to make Chilled Watermelon Lemonade.
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.
Cooldown, with an Easy Creamy Mango Milkshake.
This Easy Creamy Mango Milkshake is a guaranteed hit with the kids, and who doesn’t like a milkshake? Make sure you have a nice ripe Mango to get the best flavour and texture.
If you don’t have limes handy, lemon will do and make sure you are using evaporated milk. Don’t get confused with condensed milk, which is much thicker and sweeter.
Preparing the Mango.
Getting at the flesh can be tricky, but the best way is to trip ether end first. This gives you a flat base on which to set the fruit upright and carefully cut off the skin. Once that’s done the fresh can be sliced off the stone. As we are blending the milkshake it doesn’t matter how neatly to slice off the fruit.
Finally remember to follow the golden rule of working with Mangoes. You really must suck the stone after removing the flesh. One of life’s small pleasures.
To get the best texture have the mango and limes ready waiting for your guests. Then blend the milkshake when needed. Serve directly from the blender to get the best fluffy texture in the mix.
And don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more summertime drinks.
You will need.
- Chopping board and knife
- Fine microplane grater
- Jug Blender (liquidiser)
Easy Creamy Mango Milkshake.
Makes 650ml.
- 1 large ripe Mango
- 100ml stock syrup
- 120ml evaporated milk
- zest and juice of two limes
- 100g crushed Ice
Preparation.
Peel the mango and cut into small pieces, you should have about 250g of flesh.
Pop the fruit into the jug of the blender then grate the lime rest over the top and add the juice.
To finish the Milkshake.
Pour the stock syrup and evaporated milk into the jug. Add the crushed ice and place the lid on the blender jug. Keep you hand on top while you start the machine to avoid splashing, and blend until smooth.
Serving.
Pour the mango cooler into glasses and decorate with a spring 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
How to Make, Lemon Barley Water, a Summertime Classic
This easy Lemon Barley Water is a British classic and a must for any outdoor event. This is not difficult to make but takes a little time to infuse and chill. Make it the day before to let it get as cold as possible before use. Once you have tasted the real thing, you will never go back to shop-bought cordial again.
How to Make, A Family Citrus Peach Cooler.
This Easy, Family Citrus Peach Cooler takes just a few minutes to make using ingredients you may already have in the house.
Make Your Own Pork and Duck Rillettes at Home
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 summer picnic.
Don’t forget to look up our post on How to make your own pork sausages. Its easier than you think!
Index
What are Rillettes?
Rillettes were originally a method of preserving and using the fattier parts of pork. Here I have married the pork with duck, another favourite meat of mine. The meat is salted then cooked slowly with fat not all that dissimilar with Duck Confit. Rillettes, although rustic are equally at home served at a dinner party, eaten alfresco, or packed with a bottle of wine and good bread for a countryside picnic.
Traditionally this is cooked in the oven. But if you don’t want to have your oven on for so long, a slow cooker works well in tenderising the meat.
You will need; –
- Ovenproof casserole and / or slow cooker
- Chopping board and knife
- Large Pyrex bowl
- Colander
- Mortar and pestle or spice grinder
- Measuring spoons
- 2 table forks
- Heatproof spatula
- Small earthenware or glass pots with lids to store the Rillettes.
Pork and Duck Rillettes.
Makes 5-6 small jars
Oven temp 150˚c – 120ºfan oven.
Stage 1.
- 200g diced pork belly.
- 200g diced shoulder pork.
- 1 male Gressingham duck leg
- 1 ¼ tsp Salt
Stage 2.
- 100g diced pork fat or lard.
- 100ml dry white wine
- 100ml water
- Small sprig rosemary
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 small bay leaf
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 clove
- 2 juniper berries
The day before, curing.
Cut the belly and shoulder pork into 2cm dice and place in a large Pyrex bowl. Sprinkle the 1tsp of salt over the meat and rub into the meat with your fingers. Rub the remaining ¼ tsp of salt into the meaty side of the duck leg and place on top of the pork. Cover the bowl and leave to stand in the fridge overnight.
Next day, on to the cooking.
Pour the pork and duck leg into a colander and rinse under running cold water to wash off any remaining salt. Drain well then tip the pork into a casserole placing the duck leg on top.
Chop the fat and add to the pan. Add the wine, water, rosemary, garlic, and bay then put the casserole over a low heat.
Using a mortar and pestle of spice mill crush the juniper, clove, and peppercorns with the ¼ tsp of salt. Sprinkle this over the meats and add to the pan.
Into the oven.
When the fat begins to run from the meats pop on the lid and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours on very low heat (150˚c – 120ºfan oven) for 3-4 hours until the meat begins to break up.
Alternatively, start the process on the hob as above then transfer the mix to a slow cooker but reduce the water to 50ml.
When the meat easily falls apart when pressed with a fork, lift the meat into a bowl and strain off the fat. If there is still a lot of liquid remaining with the fat boil it off in a small pan, A little liquid in with the fat is fine.
Finishing the Pork and Duck Rillettes.
Remove the skin from the duck leg and flake off the meat. Add that to the pork then break up the meat with a couple of forks adding some of the fat as you mix. If you are short of fat some lard can be mixed into the pan. If you have fat left over from cooking Duck Confit that’s ideal.
Finishing the Rillettes.
Once the meat is broken down with the fat you should have a moist, succulent mixture. Have a taste and add more seasoning if needed. Bear in mind that as this is eaten cold it will seem a little less seasoned when eaten than it tastes now, so don’t be shy.
Fill small ramekins or glass jars with the meat spoon over some of the remaining fat. This will seal the top and keep off the air.
Let the Rillettes cool completely and store in the fridge.
Serving.
Let them come up to room temperature before serving and serve with hot toasted sourdough bread.
Can I make the rillettes in advance?
Yes, in fact they are better made a few days ahead as the flavour will develop. Making ahead also makes these a very convenient starter or picnic food.
Do I have to use pork to make Rillettes?
No Rabbit, Goose, and Duck are all traditionally used as well. As for the fat you can buy duck and goose fat in jars in the supermarket.
Why do you use a male duck leg?
The male duck leg is larger with more meat on it. They are also more commonly found in supermarkets than the female legs. Two small female legs would be fine for the recipe if you have them.
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.
©John Webber. 2023
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Make Your Own Amazing Buttermilk Bread Rolls
These Buttermilk Bread Rolls will really impress your dinner party guests. They go well with most starters that don’t require crispy rolls served alongside.
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.
How to Make Your Own Pork Sausages.
Learning How to Make Your Own Pork Sausages at Home is great fun. 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.
Most people will have a favourite sausage, British or continental. I’ve lost track on how many different types and flavours are available to us today. However, variety is one thing, quality is another, so read on!
So, What’s in a Sausage?
Well apart from any flavourings you want to add, Meat! The problem can be deciding on what is meat. Meat in its natural form has fat, and fat is important to the eating quality of our sausage. Just enough will provide flavour and moisture. Too much and a greasy feel will be left in the mouth. Too little and the sausage will be dry and tough.
Fat also adds flavour. In fact, it adds flavour to most things. As the fat dissolves on your tongue, it transmits the flavour of your food to the tastebuds. This enhances the experience of eating the food and something we are hard-wired into enjoying.
Whatever meat you are using Beef, Pork, lamb, Venison etc the fat is important. For beef sausages suet fat is ideal. For all the others I would stick to pork fat.
Don’t be afraid of fat but do control it. Perhaps one rainy afternoon ill draft out a Food Files page on fats to help everybody understand how they work.
What are Sausage Casings?
There is one rule I like to apply here. Never Trust a Straight Sausage!
There are basically two main types of casing, natural and synthetic.
Natural casings are from the intestines of animals. They will be irregular in diameter according to how far down the gut then are obtained from. This provides sized from a chipolata right up to a salami size. The animal they are taken from will dictate the thickness and strength of the casing. Pork casings are relatively strong and a good size for most uses. lamb casing are more fragile and are smaller in diameter.
Preservation.
Commonly the casings are preserved in salt and need to be soaked and washed before filling. If your local butcher makes their own sausages, they can help you or have a look online. As you will know the intestines are coiled around inside the carcase. This gives the sausage its curved appearance. A sure sign it’s a natural sausage.
Alternative casings.
Synthetic casings for edible sausages are manufactured from animal collagen. Personally, I don’t like the feel of them in the mouth. Some smoked and cured sausages intended as charcutier have plastic cases which are not edible.
If all else fails, you can from the meat into patties coat them in four and fry. To go one stage further egg and breadcrumb the patties. Cook slowly in butter so the meat cooks though without the coating burning.
Mincing the meat.
You don’t need fancy, expensive equipment to make your own sausages. A tabletop hand mincer is fine (although hard work) and I filled my first sausages using a cut off plastic funnel and piping bag.
A mincer attachment for your food mixer is a good choice. If you really get into it a small electric mincer can be bought for not too much money.
The key thing is to ensure the blade is sharp and you have the right size of mincer plate fitted.
It’s best not to use frozen meat if you can as it doesn’t bind together as well as fresh, Cut the meat and fat into cubes no larger than 2cm and keep the meat in the fridge before mincing.
Chefs will often put the mincer in the fridge or freezer before use to stop the meat from heating up due to friction in the mincer. This also helps with the shelf life of the sausages’.
Its not a bad idea to fry a small patty of the filling before filling the casings. This allows you to check the seasoning before committing to moving on to the filling stage.
Make Your Own Pork Sausages.
You Will Need: –
- Mincer.
- Sausage filling attachment or piping bag and tube.
- Mixing bowl.
- 2 Small bowls.
- Trays
- Spatula.
- Chopping board and knife
- Shallow saucepan (for apple and rosemary version)
Pork Sausages.
Makes 7 good sized Pork Sausages.
- 400g trimmed pork shoulder
- 150g rindless green gammon
- 70g pork loin fat
- 5g mustard seeds
- 2tbsp dry white wine
- 1 slice crustless white bread
- 100ml milk
- ½ tsp mace
- 6g curing or table salt
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
- 1 slice of bread to clean out mincer
The Night before.
Put the mustard seeds in a small dish and pour over the white wine. Cover and leave overnight for the seeds to soften.
Making the filling.
Pour the milk onto a small bowl and add the bread. Leave to soak for five minutes.
Take the meats and remove any sinew. Cut the meats and fat into roughly 2cm cubes and mix together in a bowl.
Lift the bread from the milk and squeeze out the excess liquid to form a wet ball. Add the bread to the meat and discard the milk.
Add the mustard seeds and wine together with the rest of the seasonings and mix well.
Fit a 6mm sized plate to the mincer then pass all the mixture through the mincer back into the bowl.
Return half of the mix to the mincer and re-mince once more back into the bowl.
Take a sturdy spoon and begin the mix the coarse and fine mixtures together. Don’t be afraid to give the mixture a good basing about as this helps the meats bind together.
Butchers commonly add water into the filling while mixing. This arguably adds moisture to the filling making the sausage juicer. Ever noticed all that gunk coming out of shop-bought sausages as you cook them? And I’m sure all that free weight helps with the profits. If you do want to try for a moister filling just add two or three tablespoons of water in as you beat the mix.
That it! You’re all ready to go to the filling stage.
How to fill the Casings.
Take some of the casings out of the container and shake off any excess salt. Wash the casings under running water for a moment then place in a bowl of cold water to soak for twenty minutes.
Piping bag method.
To fill the sausage casings with a piping bag, spoon the sausage meat into a large piping bag fitted with the widest plain plastic nozzle. I have used the cut off tube of a plastic funnel in the past, with some success.
Rinse the casings in cold water and roll the open end over the nozzle, like putting on a stocking! Hold the first 2 inches of the casing closed and squeeze the filling into the casing to form the first sausage, easing the casing from the nozzle as it fills. Stop when the sausage is big enough and twist gently before filling the next one. Tie the loose end of the casing on the first sausage. Continue until all the filling is used up. If you like, tie the sausages at intervals between the links with fine string then cut into individual sausages.
Using a sausage filling attachment.
If you are lucky enough to have a sausage filling attachment for your mincer it’s the same idea. Roll the washed casing onto the filling tube Then load the hopper with the sausage meat. Pull about 8cm of casing down the tube so it’s hanging off the end then slowly start the mincer until the filling appears at the end of the tube.
Stop the mincer then tie off the loose casing tight to the filling. This method will stop air been forced into the casing as the filling begins. Restart the mincer slowly keeping a steady flow of filling coming down the tube been careful not to over fill the casing. A little slack on the skins if fine. Stop filling well before the casing runs out as you will need spare casing available to form the sausages.
Decide how long you want your sausages to be, then starting at the knotted end pinch the casing at the desired length to force the meat back down the casing then twist the casing together to form a seal. Again, just as when we filed the sausages make sure the casing is not too stretched or it may break when cooked. Keep going until you have formed all the sausages and repeat the process until all the filling is used.
Avoiding waste.
There will still be an amount of good meat trapped in the body of the mincer. To avoid wasting this put a slice of bread through the mincer at the end and the meat will be pushed through. Any bread can be pushed back out of the casing before the sausages are formed.
Using a sausage press.
You can also obtain a sausage press which resembles a big syringe clamped to the table. You simply fill the body of the press with the sausage meat. Clamp on the front and proceed as described above.
If you are using a hand powered mincer or a press a second pair of hands is great help. Otherwise, it’s difficult to control the sausage casing and work the press/mincer at the same time.
Cooking Sausages.
One golden rule – Don’t prick them!!!!!.
The purpose of the sausage casings is not just to make a pleasing shape but also to holds in moisture. If you prick your sausages the moisture will escape leaving you with a dry shrivelled up result.
If you’re having problems with the sausages bursting. It’s possible you have over filled the casings putting too much stress on the skin. The most common cause of bursting is simply cooking too quickly.
Take it slowly.
Whether you’re grilling, frying, or barbequing your sausages the process is the same.
Take the sausages out of the fridge before cooking to let them warm a little. Start the cooking briefly over a highish heat to set the skins then reduce the heat until cooked through. If you’re not happy with the colour a quick blast over a higher heat will do the trick.
It takes time for the heat to penetrate through the meat. Unlike a steak the surface won’t caramelise and gain flavour. It just burns, think of the classic BBQ burnt sausages and you will know what I mean.
If you’re grilling or barbequing rub the skins with a little oil before cooking.
Some varieties of sausage are gently poached, then stored prior to grilling. But for our home-made sausage grill or fry directly from raw.
Make sure they are cooked.
As sausages are a processed meat, they must be cooked all the way though before eating. I always recommend a probe thermometer when cooking. Ensure the centre of the sausage has reached 73ºc to be certain they are cooked.
F.A.Qs.
How long will my sausages keep?
One of the big differences between shop bought and home made is the lack of preservatives.
Use the freshest meat possible and don’t leave it hanging around at room temperature. Keep your equipment as cool as possible and wear disposable gloves when handling meat.
I would aim to use my fresh sausages on the day or the day after making. If that’s a problem, freeze the sausages as soon as they are made. Its best to freeze them separated on a paper lined tray, then transfer them to a bag when solid.
They should keep up to three months in a good freezer. But make sure they are thoroughly defrosted before cooking.
I don’t have a mincer; can I use a food processor.
While I wouldn’t say definitely not, its not ideal. The mincer is not a violent as the processer and breaks the tissues down better. If a processer is your only possibility process the meat in small batches using the pulse control. Don’t overdo it remember the meat is meant to be chopped not pureed. The sharper the blade the better to result.
What is Curing Salt?
Curing Salt is also known as Prague Powder, or Pink Salt by butchers. It is a salt used to cure meats while help preserve them and prevent the meat from turning brown. Sodium Nitrate is added to the salt and given a pink colour to identify it from normal salts.
Curing salt is used in the manufacture of hams, bacon and sausages. A variation of curing salt is used in dried meats like Salami.
I can’t get hold of sausage casings, what do I do?
You can find the casings available online. However, if you want the fillings can be formed into sausage shapes using wet hands. Chill the shapes in the fridge to firm them up then coat then in flour, egg, and dry breadcrumbs. Fry the sausages gently in butter, insuring they are cooked through.
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
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.
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.