May Weekend Shenanigans

After two back-to-back weekends of travelling I was so excited to stay in my Kirkwall and chill. So I invited some of the girls over for high tea and a catch-up.

This was a nice way to spend my Saturday, I may post a recipe for the vol-au-vents

in the future but I have plans to make them even tastier

I started my plan with vol-au-vents and mini eclairs but the more I thought about the eclairs the more I wanted to put my own spin on them. I love peanut butter and had a very tasty peanut butter moose at the Kirkwall Hotel the other week and I thought maybe I could use that idea but lighten it up with some fruit, well then I happened to catch the end of a Hairy Bikers programme where they made creme patisserie so I thought that would be the base to add my peanut butter to. Then when I was buying my ingredients I noticed some very nice strawberries and voila...

Peanut-Butter & Jelly Eclairs

Ingredients

Choux Pastry:
60g butter
130ml water
80g plain flour
3 large eggs

Creme Patisserie:
180 ml whole milk
35 g granulated sugar
35 g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
2.5 tbsp peanut butter
40 ml double cream

Chocolate Topping:
80 g milk chocolate
80 g dark chocolate (70%)

Method

 

For the pastry melt the butter in the water until all of the butter has melted and the water is simmering. Add the flour to the wet mix and stir over the heat for approximately 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs one at a time, this will go a little runny at first but keep stirring, it will come together.

Pipe onto a non-stick tray and place in the oven, turning it down to 195 degrees celsius for 25 minutes. Place on a cooling rack.

To make the creme patisserie mix the flour, sugar and salt then add the egg yolks and whisk till it is combined and pale in colour.

Then heat the milk until it starts to simmer, carefully/gradually pour the milk into the egg mixture, whisking the whole time. Return the mixture to the sauce pan and stir continuously.

Once it starts to thicken add the peanut butter and whisk until its the required thickness. Pour into a heat proof bowl and cover with cling film (make sure it touches the top) and allow to cool.

Once cool, whip the cream until soft peaks then fold in the creme patisserie.

Simple to make just strawberries & jam sugar but super tasty

When you are ready to make the eclairs melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Cut the eclairs and spread a layer of strawberry jam (I used homemade but you could use shop bought). Then a layer of the creme patisserie, closing the eclair and drizzling with the chocolate, place on a cooling rack. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge until required.

After words I went a walk with my friend heather and her loopy labradoodle Lucy,

yes she is clean off the ground

 

I didn't get much time between finishing the eclairs and the lasses coming over so only got one photo... I will bulk this up with more photos next time I make them.

Let me know if you try them xxx

Christmas 2012

Christmas Vodka, looked super festive from day dot

 

Christmas this year seemed to appear from no where. I started to panic when I realised I had very little time to make the gifts that I wanted to give folks but I am happy with what I finally produced.

I first started knitting these gloves for my friend Gemma

 as she had said how much she had liked mine the year before

Then I found a recipe for a Spiced Aarancello (Christmas Spiced Vodka) from BBC Good Food App and thought that it would make a nice gift for some of my friends

- My flatmate makes amazing fruit liquors so it was nice to try my hand at something similar

 

As I mentioned back in October, I got a kindle pattern from a craft fair during Wool Week and was keen to make one for my Mam, Ii am really chuffed with the colours etc.

although it is a little on the large side

After the success of last years Christmas Jam I thought I would try my hand at my own recipe, Mulled Pear Jam, I liked how subtle all the flavours were although I would maybe put a little less

 sugar in it next time as it was super sweet.

I know that some people make/sell Christmas Pudding Hats but I thought I would try my own version. My own pattern so, again, proud of the outcome (would also make awesome tea cosies) can't wait to see pictures of the boys in them.

Ii also followed a Kate Davis pattern and knitted this hat for my Dad, thinking to make a girlie one for myself, once I have tackled the socks and jumper.

 

I really recommend homemade gifts, I got one this year (Blackberry Gin from Lynn) and I really appreciated that she has put time and effort into a gift that was for me.

 

Happy Holiday xxx

£1 Blackberries

Served warm over frozen yoghurt ... mmmmmm!

 

When at the shop I noticed a bargain but had so many other things going on in the kitchen they got ignored ...

So quick to make - 30 mins max

So I found this recipe for Blackberry & Brandy Sauce on allrecipes.com and thought it must be fate considering I had leftover brandy from the stroganoff.

I'm thinking Sunday pancakes

Really easy - you have got to try it ...let me know how you get on!

Auld School Granny Baking ...

 

I have been missing my Gran's baking recently and been intending to bake her oatmeal scones for many weekends but never gotten round to it. So today I made a point of not picking up my knitting and baking early.

This was not difficult as Fearne Cotton was  on Radio 1 with Jessie Ware in the Live Lounge, it was amazing!!!

Oatmeal Scones

First put your oven to Gas mark 4, then weight out 8 oz of self-raising flour and 8oz of pinhead oatmeal and mix together.

 

Then rub in 6oz of margarine then 4oz of sugar and 1 egg.

 

 

 

Roll this out and bake in the oven on baking trays, dusted with oatmeal, until golden - turning half way through.

I like them with butter and jam or cheese, brought me right back to sitting in my gran's kitchen with my sister and cousins having tea and oatcakes when we came home from school.

Jeans for Genes UK

 

As well as other activities we have planned at work I thought I would raise a little extra for the charity doing what I love the most ... Cooking & Crafting!!!

When playing on Pinterest I discovered this photo and thought I might bake something similar and sell it in the staff room.

 

I made a simple sponge and icing and used coloured icing and rolled it out to make the pockets, very simple but hopefully effective.

October holidays start on Friday and so I am trying to use up food in the cupboards and fridge before I go north. I bought a huge bag of carrots from my local shop when I only needed one and they are still good so I wanted to use the rest up. I don't like carrot cake (I know I'm weird) so I typed in carrot relish and carrot jam into Pinterest and a recipe for Carrot Cake Jam caught my eye. Even though I don't like the actual cake, I tried the jam and it was nice, I really liked the walnuts in it.

I will decorate the jars with denim and hopefully get some generous donations for this Jeans for Genes UK.

 

Here is a picture of the decorated jars

Last Christmas...

 

Every year when it gets to Christmas gifts I spent ages in the shops wondering if people will like what I'm buying them. Never felt like it was special enough so last year I thought I'd put my crafting to good use.

I first started with the peerie people in my life, three of my friends had joost had boys so I made these sock zebras from Sew Make Believe.

 

 

I started these early to make sure they were all done in time. The next Christmas festivity was when we got the house Christmassy. How about some homemade stolen and rum hot chocolate while putting up the tree?

 

Then there was Christmas jam, mince pies and homemade Christmas decorations (sadly no photos) for the girlies.



This was a very rewarding process, its nice to see people get excited about something you put a lot of time and energy into it.

 

 Getting excited and organised for this Christmas 2012 already to make sure it beats last year ... Homemade cider anyone?