Pumpkin Scones with a Cinnamon Glaze

Posted on 18/09/2011 by

This week has been a bit all over the place for me. Mr. C and I spent the weekend in Kerry last weekend with a gang of friends & their babies. It was wonderful to see everyone, as it was just over a year since we were all in the same room. Without missing a beat, everyone fell into place, catching up with the gossip, eating good food and basically having fun. It was wonderful. The drive to and from Kerry was really long, and I managed to get a good soaking on Saturday morning when I went for a long run around Kenmare, but with some spectacular scenery, I didn’t really mind.

Gorgeous scenery in Kerry - on the Moll's Gap road from Kenmare to Killarney.

Fast forward a week and the cold I have been fighting has caught up with me. This made for a terrible Dublin City Half Marathon yesterday morning, and a craving for something nice that was simple to throw together but also contained Pumpkin – my latest craving. Come this time of year, pumpkin recipes & images flood the American Blogs that I read. And thanks to Fallon & Byrne in Exchequer St, I no longer have to smuggle it into the country when I visit family in the US. I have a recipe for Pumpkin Bread, but wanted something a little simpler. And these scones are perfect.
They come together quickly and the glaze is optional. I also added chocolate chips to the second batch of these I made. Can I have a yum yum?
This is a variation of an old scone recipe I had lying around. Trial and error is where it’s at.

Pre heat your oven to 220C and place a layer of baking parchment or Silpat on a baking sheet. Place to one side and assemble the scones.

If you have a food processor these will come together in a couple minutes. If not, don’t worry. Just use a large bowl and roll your sleeves up!

Ingredients:
300g Wholewheat flour
100g plain flour
100g caster sugar
85g butter – cold and cut into cubes
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp both ground cinnamon & ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional)
180g canned pumpkin (I use the Libby’s Brand available in Fallon & Byrne but in the past have used steamed and pureed pumpkin that you get in the supermarket)
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
75g dark chocolate chips (optional)

Place the flours, sugar, baking powder, spices & salt in the bowl of your food processor or in a large bowl & gently whisk together.
Cut your butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Pulse for approx 30 seconds, until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. If you are doing this by hand, rub the butter into the flour mix with the tips of your fingers until you have coarse bread crumbs.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, milk and pumpkin together. Add to the flour/butter mix and pulse again until the mixture just starts to come together. Do not over mix as this will make the scones tough.If you are making by hand, fold the wet min into the flour and combine until a soft dough forms.
If you are adding the chocolate chips, add them now and gently mix together.

Flour your surface lightly and turn the mix out onto it. Bring together into a disc and flatten out gently. Do not over work or knead the dough or your scones will be like bricks. I have been there. Take it from me!
Make the dough into a rough rectangle about an inch thick. Using your favourite shape, cut out your scones and place on your baking sheet. Leave about an inch between the scones.

Place in the centre of your oven and bake for about 15 minutes. As I say with all recipes, check the scones at about 12 minutes. If you have a hot spot in your oven (where one area of your oven gets hotter than another & tends to burn food) you will need to turn the scones half way through to ensure even cooking.

Fresh From The Oven - B.G (Before Glaze)

Once cooked – golden brown and firm to the touch – remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
While cooling, if you want to, you can make your glaze. This is not super thick. It is quite thin but will add a lovely extra flavour to the scones.
Ingredients;
150g icing sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon
2tbsp milk

Sift the Icing Sugar and Cinnamon into a bowl and gently whisk in the 2 tbsp milk. Whisk together quickly until combined and there are no lumps.

Spoon over the scones once cooled and leave to set.

When ready, gently heat in a warm oven, split open and slather with butter that will then melt all over your hands and chin as you eat it. Believe me, there is nothing that tastes better.

Enjoy,
Orls

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Plum Frangipane Tart

Posted on 04/09/2011 by

I am in the midst of my marathon training again. The Dublin City Marathon will take place on October 31st and I plan on toeing the line with everyone else. This is the time of year that weekends are planned around the LSR, or Long Slow Run (I prefer Long Sunday Run). If you do your long run on a Sunday morning, as I tend to, your Saturday is spent drinking lots of water throughout the day to make sure that you are well hydrated, and eating to make sure that you have enough fuel in your tank, so to speak, to get you through the long miles early on Sunday morning. Early nights and early mornings are also part of the deal. My social life is suffering terribly!

This time of the year is also when the harvest fruits are coming into their own. This recipe uses lovely Italian Plums, the last of the amazing batch I received a while back. However, it would be perfect with sliced apples, or I have even used pears and you could also use some of the plump blackberries that I spotted on my run this morning that are starting to ripen.

I made this tart last week when we had a friend staying, but I have to admit that I used it on Sunday Afternoon, to help refuel and restock some of the 1500+ calories I had burnt off after running 13 miles that morning. Refueling with this tart is definitely one of my favourite parts of marathon training!

You will need to make the sweet shortcrust pastry first and this can be made and blind baked the day before if you wish. I can’t remember where I got this sweet pastry recipe but it is my go to pastry for any dessert tarts that I am making.

You will need;
200g plain flour, 100g butter -chilled and cubed, 1 large egg – lightly beaten, and 1 tbsp icing sugar. For a frangipane crust, I also add a couple of drops of almond essence but don’t add for other recipes or it could change the taste quite a bit.

Place the flour, butter, icing sugar and almond essence in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add half the beaten egg and pulse again. You want the mixture to come together. Add more egg if needed but only add a little at a time as you do not want it to be too wet. Tip out onto a clean worktop and bring together in to a disc. Do not knead. Shape into a large disc about 2cm in height and wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for up to 30 mins.
If you want, you can do this stage by hand. Rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until crumbly. Add the almond essence and a litte of the egg and bring together with a fork. Add as much egg as you require and tip out onto the work surface, following the steps as above.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll it out until it is larger than the tin you are using. I used a 23cm fluted tart tin with a removable base. I also roll the pastry out between 2 layers of cling film to stop it from sticking.

Line your tin carefully, gently pressing the pastry into the corners of the tin, and using your fingers, fold the pastry around the top of the tin, leaving about 1cm of a lip.
Line with tinfoil, and bake blind at 180C for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and remove the tinfoil and baking beans. Allow to cool and store in an airtight tin overnight, or set to one side while you prepare the filling.

For the filling you will need;
100g butter -softened, 100g caster sugar, 100g ground almonds, a couple drops almond essence, 2 eggs, 50g plain flour, 5-600g of pitted and halved Italian Plums.

Beat the butter, sugar, ground almonds and almond essence until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat again until smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixer and beat again until very smooth.
Pour into the prepared case and smooth out with a spatula. Now place the halved plums into the frangipane mix as you desire.Try to fill all space and while you may think you don’t have room, make room as the plums will lose some size when cooking.
Finally, if you so wish, sprinkle some flaked almonds over the top of the tart and place in the centre of the oven.
Bake at 190C, for 40 minutes. You will need to keep checking from about 25-30 minutes on. You want the top of the tart to be golden brown and firming to the touch, but still with a little give.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool before trying to remove from the tart tin.

Place on a pretty cake stand, and replenish those calories with a little fresh cream and a nice strong coffee. This tart is delicious warm or cold. You could also bake this tart in advance and simply reheat in a warm oven for 20 minutes before serving if you had an occasion. Do not, however, reheat in a microwave – you will end up with nasty too hot pastry which will end up soggy and then rock hard taking all the good out of the work you have done.

And on that note, I am off to eat my way through the fridge. I had another long run this morning & I am starving. Its called a marathon effort for a reason you know!

What is your favourite autumn fruit, and what do you like to do with it? What are your tips for fueling pre run, and post run?

Enjoy,
Orls xx

Posted in Autumn | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cheesecake Topped Red Velvet Tray Bake

Posted on 29/08/2011 by

The first time I tasted Red Velvet, I was more impressed than the vibrant red colour in contrast to the show white icing and didn’t really pay much attention to the flavour. The second time I tasted it, I was blown away by how moist the cake was, and how light it was.

I was mooching around the house yesterday looking to pass the time. I had run in the morning and had walked the dogs and done my Saturday morning chores. Mr. C was away working and I was at a loose end. I wanted to bake something but didn’t want something heavy around as I knew I would be nibbling later on.

However, I had a craving for the cheesecake topping that I put on the top of my chocolate brownies. I had a rare moment of clarity (and remembered seeing something similar on my latest addiction Pinterest) and thought that the cheesecake topping would be perfect on a light and fluffy, and terribly tasty red velvet cake.

You will need to grease and flour a 9x13inch cake tin & Make the cheesecake topping first.

You will need 250g Cream Cheese, 75g caster sugar, 1 large egg yoke & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat together until smooth. Set aside and make the red velvet cake.

Preheat your oven to 180C.

You will need;

140g plain flour, 225g caster sugar, 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1/2tsp salt, 1/2tsp baking soda, 1 egg, 180ml sunflower oil, 225ml buttermilk, 1/2tbsp vinegar, 1/2tsp vanilla, red food colouring

Beat the egg into a bowl lightly with a wire whisk & add all the other wet ingredients and enough red food colouring to make really vibrant red. Err on the side of caution and add more as the colour will fade a little during cooking. It is hard to give a correct amount as colour will vary with liquid and paste as well as with various brands.

In a second bowl whisk the dry ingredients until combined. Now add the wet to the dry and whisk together until well combined and smooth.

Transfer into your cake tin and gently tap on the counter to remove any bubbles.
Now, take your cheesecake topping and pour over the top of the cake mix. Using a fork stir and swirl all around the cake mix.

Place in the centre of your oven and bake for approx 35 minutes. As with all cakes, check with a toothpick near the end of the time. Turn the cake half way through to ensure even cooking.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
While waiting for it to cool completely, carry out some quality control on slivers of it. This is probably the most important part! Believe me.

Cut the tray bake into squares and store in an airtight tin for up to a week. However, if left lying around, this (below) may happen… just sayin.

This would be a perfect little treat in the lunch boxes of kids going back to school. Or teachers going back to the classroom after their long summer. Poor things.

Enjoy -
Orls xx

Edited on 21/9/2011 – I have changed the quantity of oil in this recipe as Jenn very kindly pointed out that there was an error in the measurements. My bad! You need 180ml oil. In all of my “sympathy” for the teachers and their long breaks, I hit the 2 instead of the 1. Happy Baking!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Harvest Time – Plum Jam with Ginger and Lime

Posted on 24/08/2011 by

It is that time of year again. Children all around the country are enjoying the freedom of the last couple of days of holidays. They are staying up late, calling for their friends at any time of day (and night) because they can. Parents are starting to phone other parents to arrange school runs. Shops are stocked high with new folders, copy books, rulers and pens.

And the Autumn fruit is ready to be picked, eaten, made into jam, chutney, pies – the possibilities are endless.

When I was a child, my gran, who lives next door to mum & dad’s house had a plum tree outside her front door. The trunk split in two about 2 feet off the ground and made a V shape. To this day it is the only tree I could climb. I was a terrible tree climber – but I would always be just about able to make it to the lowest branches and bunches of ripe purple fruit (and sometimes the non ripe green ones!!!) I loved the way when they were perfectly ripe the stone in the centre would fall away from the fruit and you could get all the ripe juicy flesh to enjoy. I haven’t been able to find plums as nice since then. The ones in the shop are too round and just aren’t the same as my childhood memories.

Well, that was until a week ago when I got a call from my dad asking whether I wanted a lorry load of fresh plums from a friends garden. He didn’t have to ask twice. I was even more delighted when I realised they were the same variety as the ones that used to hang in my Grans garden. Italian Plums!!!

I knew I was going to make Jam but wanted to make something a little different. And this is certainly different. The ginger adds a warmth to the jam and the lime gives it a little citrusy kick, both without taking from the lovely plummy flavour.

The recipe will yield about 8 regular jars of yummy jam that will last for up to 6 months in the larder before opening, and 6 weeks in the fridge once opened.
Firstly, you will need to sterilise your jars

To make the jam you will need the following
2kg plums, pitted and cut into quarters
1kg caster sugar
3tbsp grated ginger root
finely grated zest & juice of 2 limes

Place all of the ingredients in a large, heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down to a high simmer and allow to stay at a rolling boil for about 15 minutes until it reaches the right consistency. Stir occasionally as if it burns, it will turn bitter and the entire batch will be ruined.
You will know that the jam has reached the right consistency by the following quick test. Place a saucer in the fridge before you start making the jam. When the jam has boiled for 15 minutes, remove the saucer and place a teaspoon of jam in a line in the centre of the plate. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes and then prod gently with a clean finger. If there is a thin skin that doesn’t split when you touch it, you now have jam.

When ready, allow to cool for a couple of minutes and gently ladle into your sterilised jars.

Seal immediately (with lids that have also been sterilised*) and leave to cool.

Label accordingly and enjoy. These would also make a perfect gift for a teacher at the start of a new term – a little sweetness to help them get through the first couple of weeks!

Enjoy on warm toast, or on a wholewheat english muffin with homemade almond butter.

Nom nom!

Orls

* To sterilise the lids of your jars, place in a bowl and pour over water that has boiled and cooled a little. The water should be above 82degrees in order to sterilise.

Posted in Autumn | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Brown Hound Bakery Tour

Posted on 15/08/2011 by

When there was a post on the Irish Foodies facebook a couple weeks ago asking whether anyone would be interested in a visit to the Eastern Seaboard’s new bakery – The Brown Hound Bakery – I jumped at the chance. A bakery I hear you say? Count me in!

So last Saturday evening, myself and about 8 other food bloggers met up outside the bakery, which is located just outside Drogheda in Co. Louth. Owned by the Jeni and Reuven, the husband and wife team who are behind the successful Eastern Seaboard Restaurant, and just a couple steps up the street, the bakery is really understated from the outside. Simple glass and an awning with the name of the store in white, you could easily miss it.

However, once you step inside the doors the pure luxury of the decor will make you glad you didn’t. We were shown around by Jeni, who told us that since they opened their doors they hit the ground running – which is great to hear and really isn’t that much of a surprise. All the cakes and treats are reasonably priced – making the items a real affordable treat!

When asked how the bakery got its name, Jeni told us that last year they got a chocolate labrador and he had taken over their lives and so they had to honor him. What better honour eh? Jeni also told us that they had also given a nod to her mothers dog Baxter in the form of a mouth watering cake. Browned butter citrus cake layered with coconut pastry cream, frosted with coconut buttercream and covered with toasted coconut. Eh yes please!

When they were setting up, Craig Thompson of the Shandaken Bakery in New York came to Drogheda for three months to bake, develop the treats and teach the staff. In fact, a lot of the produce available are his and his grandmothers recipes.

The Bakery is really a wonderful and very welcome addition to Drogheda and I think, and hope, that it keeps going the way it has in the first few weeks. With lovely benches outside, and ridiculously comfortable window perches, you can pop in, buy something sweet, have a Green Bean coffee (a brew that has been developed for the bakery) and just take a few minutes.
As well as beautiful cakes such as the Baxter, there are various breads, scones, cupcakes, cookies and donuts available. All of the cakes are available in a handy (and portion controlled) 4 inch size as well as 6 & 8 inches making them the perfect gift for any occasion.

The Brown Hound Bakery, Bryanstown Centre, Dublin Road, Drogheda 041-9833792 opening hours; Tuesday through Saturday 8am-7pm

Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

The Beetroot Chronicles – Continued

Posted on 03/08/2011 by

A couple of years ago Mr.C, my lovely friend Mrs. D and her Husband took a trip to Cork. We were heading to Mr.C’s family farm for the weekend but at the time Mrs. D was a vegetarian and was eager to visit Cafe Paradiso, Denis Cotter’s famous vegetarian restaurant on Lancaster Quay in Cork City, and having heard only good things about the place from other friends, I was pretty eager to visit myself!


Source

While at the time I was still a meat eater, I spent the couple of weeks before the visit viewing the menu on line wondering how I was expected to narrow down a starter and main from the amazing offerings.

Since then, things have changed. Mrs. D is no longer a vegetarian, and I no longer eat meat. While I haven’t been back to Cafe Paradiso since that lovely meal, I was gifted Denis Cotters book Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me from Mr. C’s sister in law and have managed to accumulate a number of Cotters recipes from his latest book For the Love of Food thanks to a magazine feature. His food is inspiring, and while some of the recipes look a little daunting at first, they are well worth the effort.

Now, you will know from my last post that we have had a glut of fresh beetroot here chez Graciesbakes. I knew I had a recipe for a beetroot risotto somewhere – it was a matter of finding it. And find it I did.
This recipe takes a bit of work to prep the beetroot, make the puree and then cook the risotto but it is so worth it. Apart from the amazing bright pink colour, the roasted beetroot are crunchy sweet and add a lovely texture to the rice, beans and cheese.
The original recipe calls for broad beans and goats cheese as well as a Lemon- Fennel Oil. I dislike fennel and used peas and mozzarella but I will give the recipe for the lemon-fennel oil at the very end.

If you wish to stick to the original recipe, simply replace the peas and mozzarella below with broad beans (cooked and popped out of their translucent skin)

This recipe serves 4 people.
500g beetroot, washed, 2tbsp olive oil, plus more for tossing, 1.3 litres vegetable stock, 4-6 small shallots finely chopped ,3 garlic cloves, sliced, 300g carnaroli or arborio rice, 125ml red wine, 60g butter, 200g fresh (or frozen) peas, 115g mozzarella cheese torn into small pieces, s&p to season.

Put the beets in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the beets, until tender. Check they are ready by sticking a small knife into one of the larger ones -however, don’t check too often as the colour will bleed from the beets. When done, drain and cover with cold water. With the tap still running, remove the skins by sliding them off with your fingers. They should slide off easily.

Preheat your oven to 180C and chop the beetroot into 1cm sized pieces and toss with some olive oil and salt. Roast for 15 minutes and remove from the oven. Remove half the beets and place in a food processor and blend to a puree, adding about 400ml of the stock to get a smooth liquid. Pass through a sieve and add to the rest of the stock creating a vibrant red liquid. Bring to a boil and hold at a low simmer until ready to use.

Return the rest of the beetroot to the oven for a further 15 minutes until starting to caramelise.

Now, to make the risotto.
Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy based pan and saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the rice, tossing for about 7-8 minutes.
Add the red wine and simmer, stirring once or twice until absorbed. This will happen quite quickly.
Add a ladle of the beetroot broth and stirring often, allow to simmer until absorbed. Then add another ladle and do the same. Continue until the rice is tender and almost dry. This will take about 20 mintues. Now add the roasted beetroot and butter and stir. Season to taste – however if you are using a stock powder or cube, check the seasoning before adding more salt as a lot of these are very salty already.

While the risotto is cooking, boil your peas (or beans if you are using them) until tender and drain.

To Serve, place a spoon of the risotto onto a warmed dish and sprinkle with the peas and mozzarella.
If you are using it, you could drizzle the lemon-fennel oil over the portion just before serving.

This dish is amazing. It is super tasty and could be served as a main dish or as an accompaniment to another dish. I served it with some fresh panfried mackerel on the side.

While it is time consuming, it is a great, and different way to use beetroot. It could be made all year with the prepacked beetroot you can get in supermarkets, but there is something that tastes like accomplishment when serving a dish that you have made, and in fact grown from scratch!

Enjoy,
Orls xx

*To make the Lemon Fennel Oil, combine 200ml olive oil, finely grated zest and the juice of one lemon, 3tbsp finely chopped fennel leaves in a jug or jar and shake or blend well. Set aside until needed and shake again before use.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Beetroot Bonus

Posted on 01/08/2011 by

Last year we had a friend staying with us who kindly brought us a jar of their own pickled beetroot. I was never really a fan of beetroot. I think it stems back to when I was in school a girl I used to sit beside would bring in slices of beetroot and ham to eat (with a knife and fork I may add – no soggy sambos in her house). The appearance and smell of the beetroot instilled a 20 odd year long dislike of the stuff – without ever tasting it.

When we had the jar of home grown and home pickled beetroot, I decided to give it another go and actually really really liked it. So I quickly added it to the list of things I wanted to grow this year. Fast forward a good few months and the beetroot in my garden is ready. It has survived a difficult season which involved being dug up regularly by Dave and Charlie, being replanted and then being moved to a couple of pots as they dogs seem to stay away from them.

Anyway, this week has seen a glut of beetroot inspired recipes – two savory which were inspired by Denis Cotter of Cafe Paradiso. I will post them later in the week.

THe other, which is the perfect way to while away a rather grey bank holiday monday, is sweet. Don’t be put off by Beetroot Cupcakes. If you like Carrot Cake, or Banana Bread, it is the same idea. And lets face it, with 100g of grated beetroot, they are practically health foods. I used a recipe from Kate Sherazi’s book Baking Magic but I have changed quantities of the sugar and have added chocolate chips also.

You will need to pre heat your oven to 200c and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cups.

100g beetroot finely grated (I used cooked beetroot, but raw is fine), 300g plain flour, 1tbsp baking powder, 100g caster sugar, 1tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 200ml milk (soya is fine), 2 large eggs ,100ml vegetable oil, 50 – 75g dark chocolate chips.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and caster sugar into a large bowl and set to one side.
Mix the eggs, oil and milk in a separate bowl and add the grated beetroot and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Drop in the chocolate and mix until scattered through the batter. Don’t over mix or the cupcakes will be tough.
Using an ice cream scoop, transfer a dollop of the mixture into each muffin cup.

Bake for about 20 minutes until risen. They will also be firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before icing.

THe frosting for these is very simple. You will need 150g cream cheese, 4&1/2tbsp icing sugar, 1tsp lemon juice and pink food colouring.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until combined. Place in the fridge until ready to use. Ice using a piping bag or a pallette knife to spread all over the cup cake.

Now, put your feet up with a nice coffee or tea, switch on the tv (there is bound to be some oldie but goodie movie on – it is a bank holiday after all) and enjoy some health food in the form of these lovely beetroot cup cakes.

I am off to re-upholster a couch while listening to Mumford and Sons at full tilt on the stereo.
Have a great day, and short week!

Orls xx

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments