Ooooh have never made toffee before, am always bit wary with heating sugary stuff after ruining a good pot trying to make tablet ! Might give it a go tho…
I got a load of damsons from the stall holder next to me yesterday as no one would buy them,lucky me ! Have never had anything to do with them before but hey ho they were free and I am Scottish ! He said he had a huge glut of them this year. I’m making jam and jelly with this lot as couldn’t decide which to do thought I’d do both ! Anyone got any other damson recipes just in case I get a load more next week, maybe I should just sell the jam to go with my scones !
Hi I used to have a damson tree in my garden years ago. The kids loved damson crumble. But when I had too many I used to make damson chutney.Lovely with cold pork or chicken
The damson jam/jelly a great success,wish I had a damson tree !
Here is a quicky pud which I have used for years and see it has been included as best ever recipe in this months Good Food mag. It is sooooooooooooooo quick you won’t believe it…just what you want on a day like today and served with custard.
FASTEST EVER LEMOM PUDDING (C/0 Good Food)
4oz golden caster sugar
4oz softened butter
4oz self raising flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp lemon curd(or syrup or choc sauce)
Whizz everything apart from lemon curd til creamy.
Put into medium microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 3 mins.leave to stand for a min.
Heat lemon curd in mircowave for 30 secs ,stir till smooth,pour over pudding.
If you get more damsons try this which I made last month with a glut of plums was given
1 garlic bulb
thumb sized piece root ginger
2 lge onions
1kg Bramley apples
3 star anise
1tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
500ml bottle cider vinegar
1tbsp salt
1kg plums/damsons
450g golden caster sugar
Peel garlic and cut in slivers, peel and sherd ginger. Halve, peel and slice onions and put in large saucepan with garlic and ginger. peel, core and chop apples and add to pan with spices, vinegar and salt.
Bring to boil over gentle heat, stir, turn down and cover pan and simmer for 30 mins until apples cooked and pulpy.
While apples are cooking stone and quarter plums/damsons and add to cooked apples with the sugar. Stir and leave to bubble away this time uncovered for 40 mins, stirring regularly, until plums are cooked but still have some shape.
Ladle into sterilised jars and seal, Keep for a month before using to allow time for vinegar to mellow. Take out cinnimon and star anise before potting if you don’t want any stronger. (I’ve left some with to see difference)
Will keep for a year sealed in cool place
I made this 6 weeks ago from a good food recipe but did make a similar one last year which was lovely, early indications for this are good. Little bit runny but lovely with naan bread and curry.
Oooh thanks Alex,will note that down,sounds lovely.
Hi Carol,hope you are doing ok. This is the recipe that I use to make gingerbread that I sell on my cake stall,have had comments that it is the best they have ever had ,must be ok as I’m selling 20 a week ! It’s a recipe from my friend’s Mum,thanks Bertrum Bone ! Just don’t be alarmed when you add the water as it makes the mix REALLY runny,but it turns out great. It makes 2lb loaf and I use loaf tin liners so don’t have to faff about with greaseproof paper.
thanks a lot Sandra, I finnish rads on Friday and not going back to work till after christmas and I have been inspired to bake by this thread, so I shall buy the ingrediants at the weekend and fingers crossed it works for me, dont think ill be selling any at any stall though!!!
Ooooh this post got a bit lost,Sara,Lakeland do a cookbook I think for the Remoska.How you getting on with it?
Ok it’s coming up for mad busy cooking time of year so maybe we could have some seasonal recipes and will start you off …I bought new non stick tins from Asda 3 for £5,bargain !
Marvellous Mince Pies
225g cold butter diced
350g plain flour
100g golden caster sugar
pinch of salt
1 beaten egg
280g mincemeat
Put flour and butter in food mixer or rub by hand,mix in sugar and pinch of salt and beaten egg.
Turn out and mix the mass of crumbs into a dough,just squish it all together.
Roll out and cut out to fit tins,teaspoon of mincemeat,cut out lids and egg wash. (I get 28 pies from this but my lids aren’t full ones but star shaped)
Cheers Lizzie ! A remoska is a sort of slow cooker,bit like an electric plug in pot …if that makes any sense. Ooooh it’s an education being on here lol.
Hi Bahons, Just picked up this thread again tonight. I have got a Remoska and bought it mainly for my caravan (which only has a hob). The Remoska is so good I bring it into the house to use too. I use it for baking bran scones or fruit ones. It is great, really great for baked potatoes. I have cooked my own bread in it. It is great for cooking a whole chicken but chicken thighs are even better. (I don’t think much of the cookery book). Oh yes I cooked rhubarb in it too. When I was in a charity shop I spotted a spare “tin” which is great if you want to do baked potatos followed by something else. (no-one in the shop recognised what it was), there was no lid but the extra bits for the remoska are expensive in Lakeland. I would normally not have spent so much for it but we had Xmas money so clubbed together to buy it. Do you know the greesproof paper discs you can buy in packets for sponge cake tins? Well I find it easy to place one on the bottom of the remoska when baking scones etc. At the weekend we were away in the caravan and OH bought Cornish pasties for a snack lunch. We were with friends so he put 4 in the Remoska. But it heated them better with just 2 in and they come out really crispy that way. If I remember anything else will let you know. Or get back if you need to know more. If I am using my main oven in the house for a large roast, it makes a useful addition to have the Remoska to cook a dessert in. Let me know what you find it good for. Love Val (Scottishlass)
Oh and Sandra, A Remoska isn’t like a slow cooker ( though it does look like one). It works the same as a normal oven but quicker if anything and MUCH cheaper to run on electricity as you do not need to heat up a whole oven. But you cannot adjust the heat. There is only one position. It is either on or off and the lid can become very very hot so yuou need to watch with little ones about. I know you do a large lot of baking Sandra so it wouldn’t do for a large amount of cakes but it would be good as an extra oven, but it is pricey and I wouldn’t have bought one otherwise. But now I have it, I love it. Love Val
hi, i thought it was just me still awake! I usually go to bed earlier the night before chemo but then lie awake till 4 or 5 in the morning, so trying staying up late!
Hi Jellylegs, Are yu still looking for veggie recipes? My daughter was a veggie for 7 years and I bought books to help make things for her. The best of all the books was by CRANKS who own restaurants, one of them we visited in Devon years and years ago and that is how I treid the book. I still make all the soups they gave, including Watercress soup, spinach and courgette, etc. I have 2 of their books. One is for entertaining it says but I prefer the original one. I have seen them in Shelter and also Oxfam bookshops here in Edinburgh. Is there anything in particular you wanted to cook. They have lots of lovely maincourses and the carrot cake is the best one I have used. Ask away if you want anything else. Love Val XX
That’s a good explanation of the Remoska, I think, Val.
Have to agree with you about jacket potatoes done in one - they are fabulous. OH is a great one for oven chips; those are good in there. I think it might be good for roast potatoes - anyone tried that?
I do have two pans, a deep and a shallow. Thanks for the tip about the baking paper, that’s useful to know.
Yes, they are expensive…don’t know if I would have coughed up for a new one, but I can see it being very useful now I’ve got one for free. Especially as I live in France and only have a standard built-in French oven, which is smaller than the ones in the UK.
Hi Bahons2, Well what have you been making in your Remoska since you bought it?
Hi Sandra44, Thanks Sandra, I found this site for the mince pies recipe.Thanks for helping me re-locate it again. I am going to give them a go this weekend.
Just now I am preparing to make my rich fruit cakes. I usually make 3 at a time in 2lb loaf tins, then keep them wrapped in greaseproof paper in airtight boxes. I am only at the soaking the fruit stage. I soak it in Brandy. I WAS organised and had made them a few months ago…but they are so handy when unexpected visitors arrive…or I have the munchies in the wee small hours and go great with a we cup of tea. So none left for Christmas. Goes great with cheese for any Yorkshire ladies! Anyone sharing anymore favourite recipes?
I have one for chocolate roulade that has NO FLOUR in it an yet is as light as can be. If anyone wants it let me know. Great for Christmas as a light dusting of icing sugar and it looks like a prety Yule Log.
Love to everyone, have a lovely time at Christmas, love Val.
SPAGHETTI WITH PRAWNS…suitable for vegetarians who eat fish.
Very easy Spanish recipe and extremely yummy.
I am not good with quantities (I am a chaotic intuitive cook!) but I´ll try:
125 gr. spaghetti per person.
A bag of prawns (you can use cooked or uncooked but defrost them first because otherwise you´ll have loads of unwanted water when you fry them).
hot chilli (the really little ones -a bit bigger than a figernail-, about 2 or 3 depending on how hot you want it). You can leave the chilli out as well if you don´t like it, the dish will be as tasty without it.
Garlic, two or three cloves (depending on taste).
a couple of bay leaves.
Parsley (as much as you want!)either dried or finely chopped.
Olive oil (the stronger, the better, I use extra virgin, 1 degree of acidity).
Cook the spaghetti in boiling water with the bay leaves, salt and a bit of oil or butter (to avoid them sticking, the oil can be a cheaper one, like sunflower or vegetable). Once cooked put them through cold water (to stop them cooking) and reserve.
In a wok or large frying pan, put the olive oil and fry the garlic (crushed), the parsley and the chilli (previously cut with scissors into little pieces to release the “hot” seeds). When the garlic is golden, add the prawns (the frying time depends on whether they are pre-cook or raw but don´t over fry them or they´ll dry!), just a few minutes is enough.
when the prawns are ready, add the spaghetti and continue frying until the spaghetti get hot, mixing all the ingredients well in the pan
and presto! a delicious meal that does not take more than 20 minutes to cook!
Tip: you can add a bit more olive oil to the pan if you see that´the pasta is sticking.
Hope you can make it and enjoy it with my very unscientific recipe!