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?
Tag: home made
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. Making the base ahead of time speeds up the process of serving everybody and keeps everything as cold as possible.
Using tinned peaches makes the whole recipe quite simple. But if you have fresh peaches you need to use its np problem. Wash the fruit and remove the stones, then chop them up a little. follow the recipe for the blending adding in a tablespoon of Stock Syrup for each peach. One the fruit is blended pass the puree through a fine sieve to remove any traces of skin.
And don’t forget to look up our home page on Easy Summertime Coolers for more ideas for summertime drinks.
You will need-
- Blender
- Chopping board and knife
- Mixing jug
Family Citrus Peach Cooler.
Makes about 1 – 1.2lt
The base.
- juice of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tin sliced peaches in juice (415g)
To finish the cooler.
- 1 lime, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- Lemonade
- fresh orange juice
- mint leaves
- Strawberries
Making the base of the cooler.
Open the tin of peach slices and tip the whole contents into the blender. Add the lemon and lime juice and blend to a smooth sauce. If the sauce has any stubborn lumps pass the sauce though a fine sieve. This should make about 400ml of base.
Store the sauce on a sealed jar in the fridge, (it should keep about four days) or freeze in large ice cubes ready for use when needed.
Serving.
To serve the cooler, mix equal quantities of the peach base with lemonade and fresh orange juice. Add some thin slices of lime and lemon, add a handful of ice, and stir well.
Serve as cold as possible garnished with fruit slices, mint, and strawberries.
Tip.
Try the recipe with other tinned fruits like pears or apricots.
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
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 picnic.
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.
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.
Try A Beautifully Light Helston Pudding, My Easy Christmas Dessert.
With Orange Brandy Sauce.
This Beautifully light Helston Pudding originates from the village of Helston in Cornwall. And is credited to George Perry-Smith, a pioneer of British cooking in the 60s. 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.
If you are fed up with shop-bought puddings. Or have left it too late to make your own, this is a great substitute. For more great Christmas ideas, look up our:-
Classic Chestnut stuffing.
And our Cranberry and Whisky Mince Pies.
You will need.
- Chopping board and knife
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Fine sieve
- Spoon measures
- A China pudding basin or plastic basin with lid
- A steamer or slow cooker suitable to hold the pudding basin
- Greaseproof paper
- Thin string
- A square of muslin, or an old tea towel will do.
- A jug for the sauce
- Small knife
- Serving plate
Beautifully Light Helston Pudding.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 60g Self-raising flour
- 60g Rice flour
- Pinch Salt
- 60g Fresh white breadcrumbs
- 60g Raisins or sultanas
- 60g Currants
- 60g Soft dried apricots (chopped)
- Finely grated zest or ½ an orange
- 4 tbsp. Drambuie or Grand Marnier
- 60g Soft brown sugar
- 90g Shredded vegetable suet
- ¼ tsp Grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Mixed spice
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 4 tsp Stem ginger (cut into thin strips)
- 3tbsp Golden syrup or (syrup from the ginger)
- Milk – to mix, roughly 120-130ml
- Soft butter To line the basin
The night before.
Chop the apricots down to the same size as the sultanas. Pop the apricots, sultanas and currants into a bowl and sprinkle with the Drambuie. Tightly cling film the bowl and leave to stand overnight.
Preparation.
Using the upturned pudding basil cut a circle of greaseproof paper at least 4cm large than the bowl all round. Rub some soft butter all around the inside of the pudding basin and on the paper lid.
Take the stem ginger and cut into very thin strips. Sprinkle the strips around the base of the basin, adding the golden syrup on top.
Mixing the pudding.
Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl then add the rice flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, sugar, mixed spice, and breadcrumbs, mixing well together. Mix in the soaked fruit, and any remaining juices.
Grate the orange zest into the mix and add the suet and fold in. forming a well in the middle.
Start working milk to the dry mix, using enough to form a soft dropping consistency.
This can be judged by lifting the spatula and letting the mixture drop off. –
How do I know if it’s right?
When the mix steadily drops off the spatula it abought right.
Should the mix sit hesitating on the spatula its too dry, add a little more milk. If it quickly flows off its too soft, add a little more breadcrumbs.
Once you are happy with the consistency spoon the mix into the prepared basin and tap the basil lightly on the worktop to remove any air pockets.
Getting ready to cook the pudding.
You may have noticed that the basin has a raised rim around the top. The purpose of this rim is to help us secure the lid to the bowl. If you’re using a plastic basin all you need to do is pop the greaseproof paper on the top, then snap on the lid. I always tightly cling film the whole think before cooking as insurance against the lid coming off.
Covering a pudding basin- classic method.
This is a simple job, but cane be tricky the first time you try it. Read right though this before giving it a go. A spare pair of hands can make things much easier.
Place the buttered greaseproof on top of the bowl butter side down. Now this is the tricky bit. Set the cloth onto the top of the basin and take the string. Tie the cloth on to the basin by wrapping the string around the basin just below the raised rim of the basin. Wrap the string around twice then tie it off. The string needs to be reasonable tight but don’t overdo it or it will simply slide down the tapered sides of the bowl.
You will have the four corners of the cloth lying down on the table. Take hold of two opposing corners and bring them up over the bowl. Pull up against the bowl and knot the two corners together tightly. Doing this will force the string up against the raised rim of the basin tightening everything up. Repeat this with the two remaining corners, leaving you with a perfectly covered pudding with four rabbit ears.
If you have correctly completed this, well done. You should be able to lift the filled basin by the cloth ears with ease.
Cooking the Pudding.
Steam for 1 ½ to 2 hours. If you don’t have a steamer or need to keep the hob as clear as possible a slow cooker does a great job. In theory it shouldn’t work, but today slow cookers are not that slow! Modern units run too hot be a true slow cooker. Which I think is because of food safety concerns. A bit of a nuisance if you want a nice slow cooked joint. But the upside is they can become a useful double boiler for slower-cooked foods.
When the pudding is almost ready its time to make the sauce (see below). The easiest and best way to keep the sauce hot ready to serve is to pour it into a warmed thermos flask. This works well as long as its not the one you keep your curry in! the best part is that it will allow you to do the washing up before you sit down for your meal.
Serving.
Its best to have the pudding cooked ready for starting your meal. Its easy to keep the pudding warm ready to serve just turn down the heat to a bear simmer.
When ready to serve, remove the cloth (this can be washed and re-used) and paper lid. Run the point of a knife around the rim of the pudding pushing the sides in as you do so. Take a warm plate where the well of the plate is a little larger than the pudding. Invert the plate onto the basin then turn the pate and pudding over in one rapid movement. If the pudding has not dropped onto the plate give it a little shake to persuade the pudding to leave the bowl. Lift off the bowl and you’re ready to go.
Serve with orange brandy sauce, or clotted cream ice cream, or Both!
Orange Brandy Sauce.
You will need.
- 2 x Pyrex bowl
- Med saucepan
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Fine sieve
Ingredients.
- 2 Egg yolks
- 300 ml Whipping cream
- Dash Vanilla
- 3 – 4tbsp Caster sugar
- 3-4tbsp Drambuie or Grand Marnier
Pour the cream into a saucepan and pop onto a low heat. Separate the egg yolks into a bowl, keeping the whites for later meringues. Freeze the white if you’re not going to use then within a week or so. Have the second Pyrex bowl hand with the sieve sitting on top ready to receive the sauce.
Take a small whisk and beat the sugar into the yolks until they have become pale and creamy, (3-4 mins.) If you are using Drambuie reduce the sugar to 3tbps or the sauce will be too sweet
Read this next bit twice, then focus on the sauce. Don’t try to read and cook at the same time. It’s a recipe for disaster!!
Pour the hot cream onto the yolks whisking as you pour. Return the mix to the pan and return the pan to a medium heat. Abandon the whisk and take a heatproof spatula to stir the pan. Keep the sauce moving all the time, using the flat bottom of the spatula to lift the sauce from the base of the pan.
Keep steadily cooking the sauce until it coats the back of a spoon. If you have a probe thermometer aim for a temperature of 82ºc. As soon as you think the sauce is ready pour it into the bowl through the sieve. Don’t hesitate. If the sauce become too hot it will separate like scrambled egg. If its not ready, just return it to the pan and cook it a little more. If you are looking at creamy scrambled egg a quick bash with a hand blender will smooth things out. The sauce will be a bit insipid, hopefully they will all be too drunk to notice………
I don’t have a steamer, or slow cooker. Can I still make this?
Yes, you can cook the pudding in a saucepan. Make sure there is plenty of room around the pudding and very importantly on top. Place an old plate upturned in the bottom of the pan and set the pudding on the plate. This prevents the pudding been in direct contact with the hot metal of the pan. Pour boiling water into the pan halfway up the basin. Pop the lid onto the pan and cook on a low simmer. Checking the water level from time to time.
Tip An old kitchen trick is to put a few small pebbles into the pan around the pudding.
As the water simmers the pebbles make a noise in the pan. If the water becomes dangerously low, they stop moving and the noise stops. This gives you an audible warning of the pan boiling dry.
How do I make fresh breadcrumbs?
Easy– take some fresh white bread and remove the crusts. Bread the bread down into suitable pieces and pop them into a food processor. Chop for a couple of minutes and he-presto you have breadcrumbs.
TIP Look out for discounted bread in the shops and turn it into breadcrumbs. Fill zip seal plastic bags with the crumbs and freeze them. In that way you always have breadcrumbs for your puddings, bread sauce or stuffing’s.
And don’t forget to check out the essential 12 Tips for a Successful Christmas Dinner
Enjoy Life ! and have a great 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
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! Enjoy the flavor of italy at home in less than 45 minutes.
How to make your own Tomato and Chilli Jam.
This Tomato and Chilli Jam is a great way of using the glut of tomatoes coming from the garden at this time of year. This rich, ripe homegrown fruit produces the best results. But if that’s not possible, get the ripest fruit you can. It has always amazed me that people will shun ripe tomatoes preferring firm unripe ones. They would refuse hard plums or peaches, so why accept poor quality tomatoes?
TIP. Because of this you will often see soft tomatoes seen sold off cheaply in the shops. Take advantage any buy them! They will be perfect for the chilli jam or our Tomato and Red Pepper Soup.
Hot Sweet Heaven.
A must for any store cupboard, been both flexible and addictive. Have it chutney style with cheese or picnic lunch. The smooth version becomes a dressing or sauce, great for presentation and amazing with seafood, especially scallops. What’s even better is you can make both variations at the same time.
You will need.
Chopping board and knife.
Heatproof silicone spatula.
Wide shallow pan.
Jam funnel.
Small ladle.
Sterilised 8oz jam jars and lids. (look up our pages on home preserving, the golden rules on hot to sterilise your jars)
Waxed paper jam covers to fit jars.
Tomato and Chilli Jam.
Makes 4 x 200ml jars.
2tbs light olive oil.
2 red onions roughly 200g – cut into small dice.
3 cloves of garlic.
¼ heaped tsp sea salt.
800g fresh tomatoes, ideally San Marzano if you have them.
300g light soft brown sugar.
3cm ginger very finely grated.
juice of 2 limes.
2 hot red chillies – thinly sliced, with seeds, if you’re brave.
Peel the onions and cut into small dice about 1cm across. Pour the olive into a wide pan and gently cook the onions until soft – 5 to 10 minutes. While they are cooking peel the garlic then crush to a paste using the salt to help break the cloves down. Roughly chop the tomatoes like the onions, then add to the pan followed by the garlic paste.
Increase the heat and add the sugar and lime juice, followed by the ginger and sliced chillies. If you’re not sure how much chilli you need, or like add two, then let the mix cook for five minutes. Have a taste, If you want, you can add more chilli, but remember the jam will get slightly hotter as it reduces in volume
Let the mix cook at a strong simmer until thick, about 15 minutes. To check pull the flat edge of a silicone spatula across the pan. If just a little juice flows back into the gap, its ready.
The jam can now be poured via a jam funnel into hot sterilised jars covered with a waxed paper disc and sealed with a lid. I always use small 200ml jars so its always on hand but not hanging around for too long in the fridge.
Use as a sauce as well.
If you want to make the smooth version, you can keep half back in the pan and use a hand blender to turn it into a smooth sauce. Professionally we would then press it through a very fine sieve to give use the best presentation. At home it’s fine to use as it is. Return the pan to the heat and re-boil the contents before pouring into jars as before.
Store the jars in a cool dark place for at least four weeks before use. Once opened keep in the fridge and use within 10 days.
I have to admit to been a little obsessed with this. It like an adult tomato ketchup, great with almost everything! make it as hot or mild as you like it’s up to you.
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 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.
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.