kitchen craft

Grown up snowball

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Screenshot 2018-12-23 at 12.24.42  yummy but dangerously strong …

 

Ingredients

6 egg yolks, 1 can condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla essence, 350 ml vodka (or brandy), lemonade

whisk the milk, then the essence then the vodka into the egg yolks – decant into small bottles and chill until ready to tipple

 

(this quantity made some little gifts but bear in  mind that without preservatives this has a limited life)

then pour a measure into a champagne glass and dilute with lemonade

Screenshot 2018-12-23 at 12.24.07snowballs from my childhood (we drank them made with Warninks which is 17.2% alcohol, really!? well it was only once a year…) were topped with a glace cherry on stick but a little grated nutmeg looks good

for a wicked version replace the lemonade with sparkling wine (don’t waste good stuff on this)

 

 

 

Food covers

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Originally conceived to cover the dog bowl but now I have realised these food protectors are as efficient as the umbrella type food domes I have been using and much more space efficient.

Cut a circle of paper or card slightly larger than the intended bowl, laminate and trim the excess plastic to fit the circle ( both cuts can be done on a cutting machine or by hand). If you re laminate the trimmed circle the heat softens any rough edges you may have left.

I used some of my stash of letters to decorate the circle before laminating but these function without decoration.

The laminate may warp if used on hot bowls or over steaming hot foods but otherwise these easy wipe covers do a useful job.

The next batch will have new wording, after all – there are no flies on me!

Plumbrillo

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A plum bonanza! Found this recipe by Jane Hornby on Good Food Magazine and it worked well (eventually after hours – literally – of boiling down). Below is my recipe adapted, based on comments on her recipe and my experience.

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How to;

Weigh and then halve the plums (no need to remove stones) and cover with water in a robust deep pan. Simmer for about 45 minutes until pulpy and deep red in colour.

Remove the stones and then whizz the pulp with a stick blender. Stir in half the weight of jam (preserving) sugar ie if 2 kilo of plums, add 1 kilo of sugar. Once dissolved heat on high for about 25 minutes  – be prepared for much longer if your plums are watery, it needs to be so thick that as you stir the spoon leaves a thick trail.  Take care not to let the mixture catch on the bottom of the pan so keep stirring as it thickens.

Decant into silicone moulds or ramekins and keep chilled until you next have a posh cheeseboard.

This was soooo much easier than membrillo made with quinces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decorated pegs

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Makes a useful,  basic and inexpensive tool just a little prettier…

Plain, wooden clothes pegs are useful in the craft room for box making, clamping glued items and stacking papers as well as storing cords and fabrics

Glued on a shelf in the utility room they are great for holding odd socks until their ‘sole mates’ re-appear or holding dog leads out of the way

And in the kitchen they keep packets and bags closed to stop spills

Functional is good but prettified and still functional is even better, so a stamping session took place this week.

Prettified, these pegs will also add a final, rustic touch to attach a tag and close a gift bag.

Maker’s tip: I used a floral stamp and placed it on an acrylic pad, took the ink pad to the stamp and then rested the peg on the stamp to get the right position. It is easier than trying to balance the peg on a work surface then tap your much bigger stamp on top of it.

Use the right ink to avoid smudges and stains- I used stazon – or découpage pretty papers with something like modpodge to keep them durable…

feast from the fridge

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We are in our holiday home for three weeks (hurrah!) with a bonanza of veggies and salad given by friends and neighbours,  so I  have decided to be creative with these lovely gifts;

broad bean and bacon salad with warm bacon vinaigrette (pop the lightly boiled beans from their jackets, fry the bacon in its own fat til crispy and chop then add vinaigrette to the pan, swirl and combine)

courgette cakes (grated courgette  squeezed in a tea towel then combined with grated cheese and a little flour plus garlic or herbs or spices as you choose and fried in pan til golden)

nearly nicoise (runner and/or french beans lightly boiled combined with hard boiled eggs, tom puree, bacon bits or tuna and capers or cornichons only if your vinaigrette isn’t punchy enough)

rhubarb fool-ish (rhubarb stewed with orange juice or elderflower cordial – home made of course – when cool stirred into greek yoghurt or whipped cream or cold custard)

roast beetroot (whole clean roots loosely wrapped in foil and sprinkled with garlic and oil, baked for 30 mins and left to cool before slipping off the skins) gret hot as a veggie and cold when diced with cheese

phew! fridge nearly ready for the next instalment …

Herb harvest, buttered up

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Packets of herb butters have been stashed in the freezerJars of lavender sugar stacked in the cupboards

 

Herb butters are a bit messy but quite fulfilling. just mash the leaves of chosen herbs (remove stalks and snip down bigger leaves like sage or chives) into softened butter – I added lemon juice or garlic to my combinations. Wrap pats of herby butter in cling film or empty butter packets then greaseproof paper on which the contents are clearly written before freezing

Wow that lavender sugar was easy; spoonfuls of dried lavender heads (if purchased check it is food grade lavender) blitzed a bit with the stick blender then mixed with caster sugar and blitzed a bit more till you are happy with the consistency – too much and the lavender turns to grey dust in the sugar. Now I can make those trendy lavender meringues

Now to make lavender syrup and try to diminish the lavender mountain a bit more and before the herbs go over totally a few bottles of herb vinegar are possible too