{WWDH} How Very British – Yorkshire Pudding.

I have always loved Yorkshire Pudding. Ever since eating it as a child it has been on my fave food list. But I have never made it. I have wanted to. When we went to London on Spring we made sure to have Sunday dinner at a Pub – Roast Beef with roasted potatoes and Yorkshire Pudding. Sooo good!!

This week’s pick for Wednesday with Donna Hay was Gaye’s. I FINALLY made Yorkshire Pudding!!

These Puddings are NOT puddings but rather similar to a pop-over. Light and hollow they are perfect for dipping or scooping up gravy.

So the next time you fix a roast, try making some of these handy little ‘scoops’. They are easy, tasty, and, for me, they bring back lots of memories.

Check with Gaye, Kayte, Sarah, and Chaya for their ‘Puddings’.

The recipe is on page 120 of Donna’s modern classics: Book 1

 

{MKMW} Across the Pond….

The Pond. The Atlantic Ocean. The LITTLE piece of water between the U.S. and Great Britain. We crossed The Pond this month so we dine in Great Britain. Since it was Great Britain we had a choice of foods from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and England. And contrary to popular belief the foods of those four parts of Great Britain are delicious and so extremely various that one would never get bored with the food.

During 3rd thru’ 6th grade my family lived in England. It was fantastic. And even though it was ages ago I remember it with great sweetness. And I was lucky enough to go back about 13 years ago. And even tho’ lots had changed in some ways it had not changed at all.

BUT…. on to this month’s My Kitchen My World.

I make scones often and have made several BRITISH dishes over the years so I wanted to make something a little different. MKMW has visited Great Britain before but we were long overdue for another visit. I ended up with…..

Dorothy Ballam’s Poacher’s Pie

I just happened to have a rabbit in the freezer, so…..

1 Bayleaf
8 slices bacon
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 leeks, tops removed, cleaned and sliced
1 rabbit cut into small portions {my package had 6}
3 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped
3 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced into 1/4″ rounds
1 Tbl vinegar {I used Balsamic}
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. {I used my slow cooker and it worked just fine – 4.5 hours}
Place the bay leaf in the bottom of a large, heavy ovenproof dish. {Or Slow cooker} Place four slices of bacon over the bay leaf and cover with 1/2 of the mushrooms and 1/2 of the leeks. Season the rabbit pieces and put on top. Cover the pieces with remaining mushrooms and leeks Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle 2 Tbl of the parsley on top. Cover the whole with the slices of potato until all the veggies are covered. Little more salt and pepper and the rest of the parsley. Put remaining slices of bacon on top and pour the vinegar over them.

Put a tight lid on the pot and cook for 2 hours. Resist the urge to look at the pie while it is cooking as uncovering it will result in a loss of the natural juices.

This was a definite hit and definitely on the repeat list. The rabbit was tender, the potatoes were perfect, the juices were tasty. Using the Balsamic vinegar rather than plain added another layer of flavor to the whole dish. The only change I would make next time would be to gather the juices into a saucepan and thicken the some. Only change!

Jane Garmey, the author of Great British Cooking says you can use a chicken rather than a rabbit but then it wouldn’t really be POACHER’S Pie.

Tje recipe is on page 105 of her book.

If you want to join in our virtual World Tour just visit the MY Country My World website and check on the countries to come (Widget on the Right). Make a dish, leave a comment. We will include you in the roundup. October will find us in the Kingdom of Tonga, Polynesia!!

 

{TWD/BwJ} Irish Soda Bread

With St Patrick’s Day only three days behind us this month’s 2nd pick for Baking with Julia was PERFECT!

This is not my prettiest bread it is so buttery delicious that the looks just don’t count in this case. I never knew just how good bread made with TONS (well 2 cups) of buttermilk could be. Don’t bother to put anything on the bread, just eat it plain!!

This bread has a wonderful tight crumb with a silky texture and a wonderfully crusty exterior. I cut a huge slice and shared with it with The Hubs just plain – no butter, no jam. Delicious. And this morning for b’fast = toasted. With just butter. Close your eyes and you are back in the old country – kinda. Well, not really, but you wish you were!!

I have to admit, I was a little fearful of making this bread. The last time I made Irish Soda Bread it was AWFUL!! (Same ingredients, but….!!) I had been wanting to try another one (only took me 4 years!!) and this one was the right one. Definitely a keeper. And quick – about an hour. So if you need a buttery, crusty quick BREAD try this one. Soon!!

I was a little hesitant that this bread would turn out. The dough was very, very wet and very, very sticky which is why it was quite difficult to make the cross on top…

So the next time I make this – like next week – I will add the buter milk gradually. But in the end it was great bread.

This week’s hosts are Cathy of My Culinary Mission who topped hers with Gruyere and Carla of Chocolate Moosey who added dried cherries to hers. You can find the recipe on either of their blogs.

And then check out all the creative breads made by the rest of the Baking With Julia group. I know there will be some delicious and wonderful variations out there. If you like what you see why don’t you join in. Find out how!

 

{MKMW} Great Britain – Afternoon Tea!

“What is high tea?’
“Yes, well, it’s tea, you know,with cocoa and scones and eggs if you’ve got hens, and bacon if you’ve killed a pig, and marmalade and Bovril and kippers, and you have it late for tea, about six.”

Yes!! It is smashing! And lately it has become a lovely way to spend an afternoon at many Tea Rooms, Inns, and Hotels in the nation. It includes tea, of course, but also finger sandwiches, small cakes, scones, and other small delicacies.

It can be extravagent…

like this one at the Ritz Hotel.
{Image from NYT}

The treats are served on a three tiered stand – sandwiches on the top, scones in the middle, sweets on the bottom. And LOTS of tea!!

But a casual tea at home in the afternoon is just as much fun.

“There are few hours in life more enjoyable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”
~~Henry James~~

The Duchess of Bedford is credited as the creator of afternoon teatime. Because the noon meal had become skimpier, the Duchess suffered from “a sinking feeling”
at about four o’clock in the afternoon. She asked for a small meal – a pot of tea and some cakes or sandwiches to be served to hold her until the evening meal. Afternoon Tea was born.

So for AfternoonTea at The Ortigo Tea Room I offer:

Crumpets
Scotch Eggs
Cucumber Sandwiches
Banana Tea Loaf

Crumpets

Crumpets are not the same as English Muffins. For crumpets, the holes are on the outside. They are made completely made on a griddle and incredibly easy. Eat them fresh.
Ingredients:

6.11 ounces/173 grams (1 2/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
8.04 ounces/2.28 grams (2 cups) unbleached bread flour
.07 ounce/2 grams (3/4 teaspoon) cream of tartar
.56 ounce/17 grams (1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon) fine sea salt or kosher salt
15.63 ounces/443 grams (2 cups) room temperature water (70 to 78°F), plus more if necessary
.22 ounce/7 grams (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
.06 ounce/2 grams (1/2 teaspoon) sugar
.06 ounce/2 grams (1/2teaspoon) baking soda
4.78 ounces/136 grams (2/3cup) room temperature milk (70°F to 78°F)
Unsalted butter, for greasing the cake rings

Place the all-purpose flour, bread flour, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
Whisk together the water, yeast, and sugar in a medium bowl and let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Pour the water mixture into the flour mixture and mix on low speed to combine.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk, and then pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the batter. Stir gently to combine. The batter should now be the consistency of pancake batter. If it’s too stiff, your crumpets won’t have enough of those characteristic bubbles and holes, so, if necessary, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Grease several 4-inch cake rings with butter.
Place the cake rings in the skillet and pour some batter into each ring so they’re three-quarters full. Cook until holes begin to form on the surface, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the rings, flip the crumpets, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until nicely toasted.
Serve immediately with butter.
For longer storage, freeze in a zipper-lock plastic bag for up to 1 month. To defrost, place on the countertop for 15 to 30 minutes, and reheat in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes before serving. {From Daniel Leader Simply Great Breads}.
These were sooo good. And so simple to make. They are more ‘spongy’ than English Muffins but just as good with melted butter or jam or both.

Besides the crumpets we also had…

Scotch Eggs

While these are often served whole at tea they can also be sliced. They make great a finger food.
Ingredients:

8 small hard-boiled eggs, shells removed
Flour
2 pounds sausage meat
1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon mace
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 beaten eggs
Oil for deep frying

Dust the hard-boiled eggs lightly with a little flour and set them aside.
Roll out the sausage meat on a flat surface with a pastry roller. Mix the breadcrumbs with the mace, salt and pepper and put them in a shallow dish.
Take each hard-boiled egg and dip it into the beaten egg, then put it on the sausage meat and, using your fingers, wrap the meat over the egg until it is entirely covered. Be generous with the meat—it should be at least i/g-inch thick around the egg.
Once the egg is covered, roll it in the breadcrumb mixture and smooth it back into shape so that it still resembles an egg. When all the eggs have been wrapped this way, heat the oil and deep fry the eggs until they are golden brawn.
Allow the eggs to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. {From Jane Garmey Great British Cooking}.
You can use any type of sausage you like. I used just a basic bulk sausage. Make sure you fry them enough to get the sausage done all the way though, so don’t try to fry them quickly

For something sweet, try….

Banana Tea Loaf

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons sugar
4 ounces butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup white raisins
4 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Mix the flour, baking powder, allspice, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces and add it and all the remain¬ing ingredients.
Mix well with an electric beater or by hand and turn the mixture into a greased 9-inch loaf pan.
Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Turn the oven down to 300° and bake for an additional 1/2 hour.
Remove from the oven and allow the loaf to cool slightly before turning it onto a rack to cool fully.
Cut into slices and serve with butter.{From Jane Garmey Great British Cooking}.

I used mini loaf pans and baked for a few minutes less, but it depends on your oven.

If you want to add a little elegance to your tea you can also serve Cucumber Sandwiches.

Simply remove crusts from your bread. Cut into quarters and spread with butter. Place a slice of cucumber on each quarter and top with a garnish of your choice. Salmon, is always nice or just a small slice of grape tomato.

Enjoying tea is always nice on a day when it is cold and blustery outside, or any day with your friends.

In case you haven’t guessed, our destination for July’s My Kitchen My World was Great Britain.

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Great Britain includes England {Crumpets}, Scotland {Scotch Eggs}, Wales, and Ireland. For more great dishes from GB please visit for the round up.