Golden Granola
Treat yourself over Christmas to a delicious crunchy start to your day with this scrumptious golden baked granola. Thankfully most of my kids don’t eat it & I’ll have a jar of it to sprinkle over yoghurt etc. during the holidays. Makes for a beautiful gift if you get hold of a nice jar.
Food photography Marta Miklinska, Food Styling by Jette Virdi (from cookbook Enjoy!)
You will need:
150g porridge oats
150g combination of mixed dried fruit, nuts and seeds (you choose)
50g desiccated coconut (leave it out if you’re not a fan)
4 tbsp golden syrup or runny honey
3 tbsp rapeseed oil Method:
Preheat a fan oven to 160°C.
Mix the oats, mixed fruit, nuts and seeds and the desiccated coconut on a baking tray.
Drizzle the golden syrup or honey and the oil over them and mix thoroughly with a fork so that nothing is left completely dry.
Toast the granola mixture in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, tossing it with a fork at 5- or 10-minute intervals as it cooks to ensure even toasting. Leave to cool on the baking tray, then store in an airtight container.
To serve for breakfast, layer up the granola with some natural yoghurt and fruit.
Enjoy! ’til next time, Sheila.
A bag of Gluten Free flour got purchased by accident lately! Not one to waste anything I knew that gluten-free bread needs a bit of a helping hand to push it towards flavoursome and bready. This recipe is based on one for ‘Olive Loaf’ in The hummingbird bakery ‘Home Sweet Home’ cookbook. The Gluten Free flour that I used is called ‘Odlums Gluten Free Tritamyl White Bread Mix’. It’s got too many ingredients for me to mention here but the main one I was looking for was a raising agent and it has that so I pressed on. Nice eaten with some Irish cheeses and relish, even more delicious toasted with some garlic butter on top.
You can view an Instagram video of the bread preparation here
Gluten Free Olive & Sundried Tomato Bread You will need:
600g Odlums Gluten Free Tritamyl White Bread Mix
Half teaspoon garlic granules
Good grinding of salt and black pepper
80g green olives
50g sundried tomatoes
125ml sunflower oil
250ml milk
1 tbsp honey
2 eggs Method:
Pre-heat a fan oven to 180C.
Prepare a 2lb loaf tin by greasing it with some oil and lining the base with a length of baking paper.
Chop the olives and sundried tomatoes.
Place the flour, garlic granules, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.
Use an electric mix to beat together the sunflower oil, milk, honey and eggs in a separate bowl or jug (or you can whisk by hand).
Gradually add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients bowl beating them together and then stir in the olives and sundried tomatoes.
Pour the bread mixture into the prepared tin.
Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown, remove from oven and allow to cool in the tin for ten minutes or so, remove from tin and allow to cool completely before slicing.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila
What is ‘farmer cheese’ you may well ask, as did I. Imen McDonnell the author of ‘The Farmette Cookbook’ explains it as a simple cheese made with just raw milk and white vinegar.
Have no fear, I did not dip my toe in the whey of cheese-making and asked instead for a suitable substitute and was told either a cottage cheese or a soft goat’s cheese and I opted for the latter. Ardsallagh is one of my favourite Irish cheeses and in advance of making this recipe I was lavishing it on toasted sesame bagels embellished with red onion relish. Divine. The other cheeses pictured grated above are gruyere and parmesan. Also pictured is a set of measuring cups. I picked these up eons ago because I liked how they look but most of my baking etc. is done in grams or ounces so I usually use a scales. Today I pulled out the cups and used both and found measuring flour by the scoopful is much faster than having to weigh it out. Imen McDonnell is an American living in Ireland and has just launched her cookbook ‘The Farmette Cookbook’ on both sides of the Atlantic hence my use of cups though they are not a necessity as Imen gives metric measurements too.
I hope you are as impressed as I am by my beautifully risen and golden souffles (just ignore the tad overdone one bottom-right please, still tasted delicious). Sublime. Knowing that oven heat is all important in souffle making I made sure my oven was pre-heating in advance of starting to cook. Milk and cream was infused with carrot, onion, herbs and peppercorns and allowed to cool. A roux was made and coaxed into a silken sauce with the infused creamy milk, then joined by the grated and crumbled cheeses, egg yolks and finally whisked egg whites. My mixture filled 9 standard kitchen ramekins plus 2 slightly larger ones.
I made these on a leisurely Sunday morning when the eight of us were all around to enjoy them served with crispy bacon and golden buttery mushrooms.
Imen’s book is breathtakingly beautiful. When you peruse it first you might think it’s one for the coffee table, starting off with a chapter on Traditional Dairy Skills not only informing you on dairy products such as buttermilk, various cheeses, butter, yoghurt and ice-cream etc. but also teaching you how to make them if you will. But as you move onwards the chapter ‘In the Bread Box’ presents you with a variety of breads, scones and baked goods with images that have you declaring ‘I’m going to try that.’ Onwards through the potato patch into the ‘Orchard’, a chapter then ‘From the Sea’ followed by a foray into foraging if you’re up for gathering wild garlic, nettles perhaps, lavender maybe, wild hazlenuts and crab apples etc. For now I will mostly be an armchair forager as that much wilderness is not outside my door but I usually do get to raid the hedgerows in West Cork towards the end of the summer and we have been known to make jams and pies from foraged fruits. Moving from armchair onwards to a chapter on ‘Sweet and Savoury Pies and Tarts’ with recipes for the various pie crusts and some amazing looking pies there’s plenty here to please. Country Suppers is where the ‘Irish Farmer Cheese Souffle’ is nestled though we had ours for breakfast. Imen’s photography is stunning (see the image at the end of this post).
The picture of the ‘McDonnell Family Christmas Pudding’ has you wishing for a Christmas dusted with snow and full of stuffed roasts followed by decadent cakes. There’s a glorious chapter called ‘Puddings, Cakes and Confections’ which stating the obvious is laden with temptation including Imen’s spectacular ‘Rich Chocolate ButterMilk Cake.’
Having tried the souffle I can’t wait to try more. Imen’s instruction is clear and easy to follow and even if you don’t feel like cooking just pull up a stool and a mug of coffee and she will speak to you through each recipe introduction and after you’ve flicked through go back to the beginning and read how ‘Girl Meets Farmer’ and how this American girl ends up living ‘with grace in the Irish countryside.’
A beautiful book.
Here is the recipe for IRISH FARMER CHEESE SOUFFLÉ from ‘The Farmette Cookbook’ by Imen McDonnell.
Makes eight 6-ounce (177-ml) ramekins or one 2-quart (17.75-liter) soufflé
5 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing the ramekins
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 small onion, quartered
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 lemon thyme sprig with flowers, if in season, a few flat-leaf parsley stalks, and 1 bay leaf
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
5 large organic eggs, separated
1 cup (110 g) farmer cheese, crumbled
¾ cup (75 g) Gruyère cheese, finely grated
½ cup (50 g) mature Parmesan or Coolea cheese, finely grated
Generous pinch of salt, cayenne, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme leaves and flowers, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush the bottom and sides of six 3-inch-deep ramekins (or six soup bowls) with melted butter; set aside.
Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan, add the carrot, onion, peppercorns, and fresh herbs. Bring slowly to a boil over low heat, then remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding the flavorings.
Melt the butter, stir in the flour, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Whisk in the strained cream and milk, bring to a boil, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks, farmer cheese, Gruyère cheese, and most of the Parmesan or Coolea cheese (reserving some for the topping). Season with salt, peppers, and nutmeg. Taste and correct the seasoning if needed.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold them gently into the mixture to make a loose consistency. Spoon into the prepared dishes, scatter the lemon thyme leaves on top, and sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan or Coolea cheese.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (9 to 11 minutes for the individual soufflés), or until the sides and top are nicely puffed up and golden—the center should still be creamy. Garnish with lemon thyme leaves and flowers, and serve immediately.
Disclosure:
Image and Recipe were furnished to me by a PR company for Bord Bia however the book review was unsolicited and book I used is my own copy of ‘The Farmette Cookbook.’ I was not asked to review this book. I only write about and promote what I LOVE!!!
Mother’s Day is a week away and if you’re stuck for funds a homemade cake is always a welcome and special gift. Combining chocolate, cherries, liquor and cream makes this a grown-up cake that everyone will enjoy.
With six children our days and weeks are very busy and time appears to fly by. It was so lovely to wake up this Sunday morning to a beautiful crisp blue spring sky and the knowledge that I didn’t have to drive anywhere today other than to get supplies for dinner and tomorrow’s school lunches. Sunday generally either means a huge fry-up brunch and a lighter tea later in the evening or a Sunday roast. Today was a day for a beef roast and I was also in the mood for baking and we all dug into this delicious Black Cherry Gateaux with extra cream, cherries and syrup for dessert.
The bases will bake in 35 minutes and will need 30 minutes to cool them before decorating. Black Cherry Gateaux.
You will need: For The Cake You Will Need: 2 tbsp cocoa powder 5 tbsp hot water 200g unsalted butter
200g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs For Decorating: 1 tin black cherries
100ml kirsch or creme de cassis (I use the latter)
125g caster sugar
150ml whipping cream
2 bars chocolate 70% cocoa solids
Icing sugar for dusting. Method:
Preheat the fan oven to 170C. Grease two round 8 or 9cm cake tins with some butter and line the base of each with a round of parchment paper.
Mix the cocoa powder with warm water to make a thick chocolatey paste and leave to cool.
Mix the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Use an electric mixer to soften the butter and then add the caster sugar and beat well.
Add one egg to the mix then some flour and continue doing so until all eggs and flour/baking powder are added and mixed.
Finally mix in the chocolatey paste then divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, (test with a skewer to see if baked)
Remove cakes from tins and allow to cool on a wire rack before decorating. To Decorate: While the cake are baking strain the liquid from the cherries into a saucepan and mix in the caster sugar and the liquor.
Mix well and bring to the boil and simmer for around 5 minutes until reduced by about half and thickening to a nice syrupy consistency.
Pour the syrup into a jug and allow it to cool.
Whip the cream.
Once the cakes are completely cool break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a bowl in the microwave for a minute or two mixing well to make a nice chocolate sauce.
Once the cake has completely cooled top one of the cakes with a good dollop of cream and scatter the cherries on top.
Pour over a generous drizzling of the cherry sauce then top with the second cake.
Pour over most of the melted chocolate, top with a few cherries and then dust lightly with a little icing sugar. Serve with extra cream and syrup.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila.
Every magazine I open lately has someone or other decrying sugar. I can’t see myself ever abandoning any food stuff and cutting it out of my diet for good – definitely not sugar. I stay away from artificial sweeteners and additives when I can but I adore sugar. Real sugar, real food, real good. I need a little sweetness in my life and I will never give it up. These buns are tasty and filling and they’re also gluten-free.
Lemon Polenta Buns You will need:
140g butter
140g light brown sugar
120g polenta
30g ground almond
30g corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
3 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 lemon
100g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
225g icing sugar Method:
Pre-heat the fan oven to 160C.
Line a bun tray with 12 cupcake cases.
Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and brown sugar together.
Put the polenta, ground almond, corn flour and baking powder into a bowl together and mix to combine.
Beat the 3 eggs together in a bowl.
Add half the polenta mixture into the beaten butter and sugar and begin to mix with the electric mixer adding in half of the beaten egg.
Add the remaining polenta mixture and flour and mix well. Use a spatula to mix in the natural yoghurt.
Spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and prick all over with a cocktail stick. Pour over juice of half the lemon and leave the buns to cool.
When ready to decorate mix together the cream cheese, sieved icing sugar and juice of half a lemon and combine until smooth. Poor spoonfuls of the creamy lemon icing over the buns.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila.
