Make Your Own Easy Flatbreads
Why Not Make Your Own Easy Flatbreads at home? It’s much easier than you think, and makes an impressive addition served with snacks and dips when entertaining
Tag: knowledge
Make Tantalizing, Baba Ganoush. Easily at Home
Baba Ganoush is easy to make at home and so much nicer then the bought in versions. Serve it as a snack or as part of a mezze spread with warmed Pita breads. Why not go the whole hog and try our recipe to make your own flatbreads and impress your guests even more.
How to Make Hummus, Everyone’s Favourite Snack
How to make Hummus. It’s easy to make this classic middle eastern snack, better and fresher than the bought version. Its smooth healthy, and full of flavour. And once you have mastered the process there is a wealth of other flavours you can add to the basic mix.
Dried v Tinned Chickpeas.
I have chosen to use tinned chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans) for this as its less work. If you want to cook your own, make sure to buy decent quality chickpeas not the cheapest version. Open the packet and check for any small stones or debris present. Cover the chickpeas with cold water and leave overnight.
The following morning drain the chickpeas and put them into a large pan. Cover them with at least twice the amount of water as there is chickpeas and add 1tsp bicarbonate of soda.
Mix well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Check to make sure they are cooked through, and if ready drain the contents of the pan and run cold water over the chickpeas. If you find you have cooked to many, then can be kept in the freezer for a couple of months.
How to Make Hummus.
You will need.
- Saucepan
- Colander
- Large bowl
- Spatula
- Slotted spoon or spider
- Food processor
- Chopping board and knife
Hummus.
- 2 x 400g tins chickpeas
- 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 80g tahini
- 1-1 ½ cloves of garlic
- Juice of 1 fat lemon
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- Sea salt
- 100ml water
- 4tbps olive oil
How to Make Hummus, cooking the Chickpeas.
While the tinned chickpeas are already cooked, to give us a nice smooth texture its best to cook them a little longer.
Tip the chickpeas with the juices into a saucepan and top up with some more water. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the pan and bring to the simmer. Reduce the heat so the pan is sitting at a steady simmer, pop on the lid and cook for 20 minutes.
Once the time is up, drain the chickpeas into a colander and rinse with cold water.
Removing the skins.
To make a really refined smooth hummus its best to remove the skin of the chickpeas. Now this is not traditional. The original hummus was a more rustic affair with everything just pounded together. You can if you wish sit there removing the skin from each chickpea one by one. But there is an easier way.
Tip the chickpeas into a large bowl and run cold water over them to two thirds fill the bowl with water. Get your hand in and agitate the chickpeas vigorously. This will remove the skins and they will start to flat to the surface. They can know be lifted from the water using a spider or slotted spoon. I like to do this two or three times, but don’t worry if you haven’t removed every last one.
Dealing with the garlic.
As you probably know I like garlic, but we don’t want the garlic to be the dominate flavour in our hummus. We can use the lemon juice to ‘pickle’ the garlic and reduce is potency.
Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices. Put these into a small glass dish and squeeze the lemon juice over the top. Put the dish to one side to sit for at least 10 minutes before use.
How to Make Hummus, the mixing.
Make sure the chickpeas are well drained, then remove a few to garnish the finished Hummus.
Tip the chickpeas into the food processor and add the cumin, salt, garlic, and lemon juice, with a dash of water. Run the processor for a few seconds to break up the chickpeas.
Using Olive Oil.
Add the tahini and blend again, then add the olive oil. I like to use some olive oil in the recipe. Not all recipes for Hummus use it as the tahini is quite oily, but I prefer the texture and taste the oils adds.
You will need to use water to soften the texture as you blend the chickpeas. Don’t put too much in a one as you can’t remove it. Once you have a pleasing texture stop processing and have a taste.
If the Hummus tastes flat, try some more lemon juice and possible a pinch of salt. The right amount of lemon juice is crucial in getting the flavour balance right.
If you can, leave the Hummus for a couple of hours in the fridge for the flavours to develop.
How to Make Hummus, Serving.
I think Hummus is best served on a deep plate rather than a bowl. This makes it much easier to pick up the Hummus with flatbreads of vegetable sticks. Spread the Hummus around the plate using the back of a spoon. Pour some good olive oil into the groves made by the spoon, then sprinkle with chopped parsley. For an ideal accompaniment have a look at our post on making your own flatbreads.
Still not sure? Check out the video.
F.A.Qs.
I would like to make some Hummus for a picnic, can I flavour the mixture with anything?
Yes, there’s loads of options, try some of these. Add some basil pesto, ether mix it all through or leave it half mixed with swirls of pesto through the Hummus.
Sun blushed tomatoes. Chop them through the Hummus and use the oil from the jar in place of the olive oil in the recipe.
Soft green herbs, whatever you have fresh from the garden. Ether fold them in chopped or blend them in for a green coloured Hummus.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds and olive oil. Some varieties may also include some sesame oil for added punch. It is used as a thickening and flavouring ingredient in middle eastern cooking. Don’t just limit it to that, it makes a good dip, salad dressing, or just have it on toast!
I am not that keen on Tahini, any alternatives?
Yes, try some peanut butter, Greek yoghurt or even Avocado to make the mix. You will need to bring up the seasoning. A dash of sesame oil could be added for authenticity.
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.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
How to make Great Flavoured Butters – 14 variations.
Flavoured Butters are one of the easiest ways of putting flavour onto a dish. I simply can’t think of anything else you can that make that will transform your cooking so quickly and efficiently. Imagine a simple jacket potato lifted by adding cheesy bacon butter. Boring cooked rice given a punch with lime, ginger, chilli, and coriander butter. Or a grilled chicken breast topped with harissa flavoured butter, amazing!
How to make, The Best, Scottish Cullen Skink.
One of my favourite Scottish dishes, Cullen Skink is a rich fish soup with leek and potatoes. The name originates from Cullen a small fishing village on the Northeast coast of Scotland. And the term ‘Skink is derived from the Gaelic for ‘essence’ a good description of the aroma of fishy peat smoke coming from the haddock.
How to Become a Garlic Expert, Every Time You Cook
How to Become a Garlic Expert, every time you cook is often a mystery to the British. While other cultures across the world utilise garlic in many forms, we simply push a clove of garlic into a crude metal press and squeeze the life out of the clove into whatever we think will benefit from a hit of flavour. Leaning how to use garlic properly will open up avenue in your cooking.
- Garlic over the Centuries.
- Types of garlic.
- Become a Garlic Expert – Peeling garlic
- How to Love Garlic.
- Maximum punch.
- Become a Garlic Expert – How to crush garlic, Full on flavour.
- However, for me, nothing beats correctly crushed garlic and here’s how to do it-.
- Variations of garlic.
- Roasted garlic
- Confit Garlic.
- Things to try with garlic.
Have a look at our post, Fantastic garlic and chefs secret, oils for tips on growing your own garlic and how to make herb oils. And if you are looking for a source of garlic try The Garlic Farm on the Isle of White who grow some of the best garlic in Britain.
Garlic over the Centuries.
For centuries garlic has been valued for its culinary and medicinal attributes. There are Biblical references to garlic and in many cultures, garlic was given to provide strength. Garlic was given to the original Olympic athletes in Greece, as perhaps one of the earliest performance enhancing tricks. Can you imagine working out in the gym munching on garlic? You might have the place to yourself.
The romans referred to it as ‘The Stinking Rose’ recognising both its value and pungent smell. But there is far more to garlic and learning how to get the best and most subtle.
Types of garlic.
Most of the small heads of garlic we get in supermarkets is imported Chinese garlic. Most of it is dried out and has lost its freshness. My advice is to grow your own, its easy and lets you try new varieties. You don’t even need a garden, I grown mine in pots in the polytunnel, but a large window ledge or balcony would be ideal. Plant out the garlic in the winter or early spring to have a crop in spring or early autumn.
There are two types of garlic. Soft neck which is what you will find in the supermarkets and Hard neck, which has a better flavour and if you grow at home provides you with the stem and flower, known as ‘scapes’, to use in addition to the bulb. These are popular in Chinese food stores.
Become a Garlic Expert – Peeling garlic
Most chefs will peel garlic by using a cook’s knife. Lay the garlic clove onto the chopping board and place the cook’s knife flat on top of the garlic so it site roughly halfway down the blade. Give the knife a firm tap with the heel of your hand. This will loosen the skin enough, so it almost falls of the clove.
This takes a little practice and some care. If you are not confident working with a large knife, try the same technique using a flat scraper or fish slice instead.
There is a gadget on the market that peels the garlic clove via friction. It is basically rubber tube in which the garlic sits. You then roll the tube across the counter pressing down with the flat of your hand. I have never tried it, but it may be worth a look.
How to Love Garlic.
You might think garlic is a bit of a one trick pony but that’s not the case, it has a number of different personalities according to its variety and most important of all how you use it.
Maximum punch.
When a clove of garlic is crushed in a press or by hand an enzyme in the bulb changes the chemicals in the garlic to produce the pungent aroma, we all know. These enzymes react with oxygen in the air to intensify the flavour. Leaving crushed garlic to stand a few minutes will enhance the flavour to its full potential.
Become a Garlic Expert – How to crush garlic, Full on flavour.
You can of course use a garlic press but it won’t give you the full flavour. It has become very popular to grate garlic into a dish using a very fine microplane grater. I think this is a better option than the press, and a lot easier to clean!
However, for me, nothing beats correctly crushed garlic and here’s how to do it-.
Using your cooks knife peel and chop the garlic. Move the garlic into a small pile towards the front of the chopping board and put a good pinch of sea salt on top of the pile.
Hold the cook’s knife flat on the board and place two fingers of the left hand (assuming you are right-handed) just below the tip of the knife. Place the knife, still held flat onto the garlic using the top third of the knife where the curve is.
Now press down with the two fingers and draw the blade across the pile with a clockwise twisting motion. The pressure of the knife and the grinding of the salt should after a number of passes across the garlic beginning to crush it to a paste. When the process is complete you will have a slightly sticky garlic paste. Not only does the salt help with the crushing, but it also draws the moisture for the garlic developing the flavour.
Variations of garlic.
Black Garlic
Black garlic is manufactured by storing heads or cloves of garlic in carefully controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. the pungency of the garlic almost disappears, and the garlic develops flavours of Liquorice and caramel with a sharp finish. Its quite morish and great on sourdough bread as well as been an interesting ingredient. Its well worth trying, the only downside is that it’s too complicated to make at home.
Roasted garlic
This is a great way of adding a mild, rich flavour of garlic to soups and stews. Its really good on toast as well!
- 4 whole bulbs of garlic (new season is ideal)
- 400ml Milk
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil.
- Sea salt
Blanch the Garlic first.
Trim off the tops of the garlic heads to reveal the cloves below Place the cold milk into a pan and add the heads of garlic. Bring the pan to the simmer and allow to cook for one minute., then remove from the heat and let the pan stand for five minutes This will remove some of the strong flavour from the garlic and make it more mellow.
Remove the pan form the heat and drain off the milk them cool the garlic under running water. As the garlic is cooling wash off any scum or fat in the bulbs.
Wrapping the Garlic.
Take some tinfoil and make some double thickness squares of foil, large enough to completely enclose a head of garlic. Place a head of garlic on each square cut side up. Add a pinch of sea salt, then pour a teaspoon of olive oil over the garlic. TIP. If you set the foil into a small bowl, it makes the process a lot less messy.
Wrap each head of garlic in a square of foil, insuring it is well sealed. Then place the garlic parcels on a tray, (cupcake trays work well) and roast in the oven for 45 minutes at 180˚c.
When ready remove from the tray and let cool.
For larger Amounts,
If you want to roast a large volume of garlic, set the blanched heads in an ovenproof casserole.
Add the oil and salt as before, you will need less oil this method. Place a sheet of tinfoil on the pan followed by the lid. This will help seal in the moisture. Cook for roughly 75minutes at 180˚c.
When cooked let the garlic cool in the pot. Remove and store in the fridge. The garlic will keep for a week or so dependent on your fridge.
Confit Garlic.
Confit garlic is a method of cooking and preserving garlic for later use. The long slow cooking mellows the astringency of the garlic. This makes it great for using in hummus, making garlic mash or using in salad dressings.
- 2-3 heads of garlic
- Small sprig of thyme
- 250ml olive oil (roughly)
- 8 whole coriander seeds
- 6 whole black peppercorns
- Sterilised preserving jars.
Pull apart the heads of garlic to produce individual cloves. These is no need to peel the cloves, but you can if you wish. The skin comes off easily once the garlic is cooked.
Place the garlic into a small pan and cover with the olive oil. Don’t use your best quality oil, a mid-range version is fine. Ensure the garlic is covered but don’t swamp the pan, it’s just a waste of oil.
Place the pan over a really low heat. We need to cook the garlic but without letting the pan boil. Ideally You want the oil to be at 90°c and stay there. I think this is best done without a lid on the pan as you can see exactly what’s happening. A probe thermometer is also very useful to be sure the garlic is cooking.
Leave to cook for 30-40 minutes or until the garlic cloves are soft. If the pan starts to simmer remove it from the heat for a while and then return it to keep on cooking.
Storing the confit.
When the garlic is ready have your sterilised jars on hand then transfer the contents of the pan to the jars. Ensure the garlic is completely covered in oil then secure the lid.
Let the jars cool until you can handle them, then stand them in iced water to cool quickly.
If you are unsure on how to sterilise preserving jars look up our post, Home Preserving, The Golden Rules.
Notes.
Store the jars in the fridge, where they should be fine for a month, unopened. Always use clean spoons to remove the garlic from the jars to avoid contamination. Do not use and jars which have bubbles of gas forming within them. If you want to store the garlic for longer, Keep in in the freezer for up to six months
And finally. Never put raw garlic into oil to make flavoured oils. Bacteria can form within the oil from the raw garlic, resulting in food poisoning from Botulism Toxins.
Things to try with garlic.
Fry sliced garlic with coriander seeds or leaves then spoon over rice.
Fry garlic stems with bacon.
Making garlic mashed potato with new season garlic stems (scapes)
Slicing the garlic without crushing produces a milder more refined flavour great with pasta and olive oil.
Use the garlic whole and cook long and slow and it melt into your stew wrapping the dish with a sweet mellow richness.
Adding an unpeeled clove of garlic to the pan when cooking meats, fish or vegetables will add a scent of garlic to the food been cooked.
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.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024
How to make Perfect Mashed Potatoes-Pommes Puree.
One of life’s guilty pleasures has to be a bowl of hot mashed potato. And it is one of the most versatile products that we can use to create a great plate of food. They can be used to form a foundation for the presentation, provide a contrasting texture on the plate, and become ‘a vehicle of flavour’. That is, they become a method of adding a complimentary flavour to a plate. Such as horseradish mash with beef, or saffron mash with fish. In a similar way, they can absorb flavour on a plate such as the gravy of a stew or braise.
How to make Braised Oxtail, with Root Vegetables and Sage
Braised Oxtail is my idea of heaven on a cold winter’s day. So, with the frost on the ground and minus five on the thermometer I decided the time was right to get cooking.
For me Braised Oxtail is the pinnacle of meat eating. Its not difficult to cook, but it does take a little time. If the idea of having the oven on for such a long cook, use a slow cooker to do most of the cooking.
How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, an Italian Christmas Treat
How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, these Italian delicate almond cookies with a melt in the mouth centre are usually enjoyed during Christmas time in Tuscany. Try them out as an alternative to or in addition to mince pies when entertaining guest over the holiday. And note to self, remember to try our Luxury Cranberry and Whisky Mince Pies.
Ricciarelli Biscuits, also make great gifts, wrap them in cellophane bags and hand them out to friends for a very personal gift.
Contents.
Ricciarelli Biscuits
You will need.
- Small food processor, to grind the almonds.
- Mixing bowl
- Stainless steel bowl to whisk the egg white in
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Two dessert spoons
- Fine microplane grater
- Baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Icing sugar sieve
Makes roughly 20-24 Ricciarelli Biscuits.
Oven temperature 190˚c
- 190g whole blanched almonds
- 4tsp plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 200g Icing sugar.
- 1 fresh vanilla pod
- 1 fresh lemon
- extra icing sugar for rolling
Making your own Ground Almonds.
To get the best flavour we are going to make our own ground almonds. If this is a problem for you, shop bought ground almonds will work. Try and get the best quality you can to get the freshness. I avoid using shop bought almond essence as its closer to paraffin than almonds. You can buy a very good almond oil but its quite expensive, and may be hard to find.
Using a small food processor, grind the almonds down. This is best done in two batches to avoid the almonds becoming too warm with the friction created. If the almonds are overdone, oils will be released from the nuts and they will begin to form a paste, spoiling the mix.
Split the vanilla pod longways and using the back of a small knife scrape out the seeds.
Take a mixing bowl and add the vanilla with all the dry ingredients. Using a very fine grater remove the zest from the lemon and add to the bowl. Mix everything together and set aside.
Adding the egg whites.
Take the stainless-steel bowl and insure it is spotlessly clean. Any traces of fat on the bowl or the whisk will prevent the whites from aerating.
Separate the eggs allowing the white to fall into the bowl keeping the yolks separately for other uses. Add a pinch of salt to help the whites expand then whisk to stiff peaks.
If you’re not sure how to do this, view the video below to see the process.
When the whites are ready, tip them out onto the dry ingredients and fold the white into the mix to make a soft paste.
I like to leave the bowl to stand for about 10 minutes at this point to allow the mix to settle. paste.
Moulding the Ricciarelli Biscuits.
Take a large flat plate and add a liberal amount of icing sugar. Using two dessert spoons scoop shapes of dough a little smaller than your thumb onto the sugar. Roll the shapes in the sugar, then transfer each one to a lined baking tray pressing the flat of your finger down to flatten the dough slightly.
Baking.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are a light golden colour and the centres are just soft. Cool the biscuits on a wire then sieve icing sugar over the top.
When complete cooled store in an air-tight container where they should be fine for 3-4 days.
Still not sure? Check out our video below.
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.
Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’
©John Webber. 2023
Simple, Duck Confit with Lentils, Bacon, and Chestnuts.
This simple Duck Confit is both rustic and refined. The process of curing and cooking the meat in fat produces a flavour unobtainable buy any other method. And I love it! I’m serving the confit with a Lentil, Bacon, and Chestnuts Stew, a great winter warmer.
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.
Make your own Exotic Flavoured Gin at Home.
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.
Trapping the flavour of summer.
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.
You will need.
- Suitable storage jars. I use Kilner jars.
- Bottles to store the finished gin.
- Scales.
- A very fine sieve.
- Muslin cloth or coffee filters.
- Chopping board and knife.
The Process.
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.
Curing with sugar.
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.
let time do its work.
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.
How to use a Muslin Cloth
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.
Exotic Flavoured Gin recipes.
Bramble gin.
- 1lt gin
- 430g Brambles, (Blackberrys if you’re south of the border)
- 200g golden caster sugar.
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.
Rhubarb and Ginger Gin.
- 1lt gin
- 390g rhubarb.
- 185 golden caster sugar
- 7 thin slices ginger root
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.
Plum and ginger gin.
1lt gin
10 Victoria plums- 165g golden caster sugar
5 thin slices of ginger root
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.
Greengage Gin.
A more complex slightly spiced gin.
- 16-18 greengages according to size
- 120g caster sugar
- 4 strips of orange zest from a medium orange
- 2 small cinnamon sticks
- 500ml 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.
Sloe gin.
A real classic
- 700g sloe berries
- 380g caster sugar (or to taste)
- 1lt gin
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.
Serving.
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 !!
Do I have to use fresh fruits?
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.
How long will fruit gin keep?
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
Astonishing Salt, How and Why we use it
Astonishing salt, no other ingredient I know has had a greater effect on cooking and the kitchen. We need it to live, but an excess is bad for us and may even kill us!
So why do we have a love affair with it? And what does it actually do? Read on and I’ll do my best to explain.
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.