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Seasonal baking with Light Muscovado

Billington’s have teamed up with Eric Lanlard, the master patissiers, to create a specially limited edition of Billington’s Orange and Cranberry mini Christmas Loaf. After adding a festive twist to the pairing of these seasonal flavours, the loaves are available in Lanlard’s South West London luxury cake boutique, Cake Boy.

Topped with glistening orange zest and wisps of leaves in 24 carat gold, these cakes are far from a mere festive fancy. The gluten free Billington’s Orange and Cranberry mini Christmas Loaf  is packed full of such seasonal ingredients as Billington’s glace cherries soaked in amaretto, bitterweet cranberries, juicy oranges, ground almonds, Billington’s unrefined light muscovado sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Eric comments, “Every cook will tell you, if you want the best baking results you need to start with the best ingredients.  I use unrefined light Muscovado because it has a richness and depth of flavour unmatched by any other sugar, which is perfect for this particular loaf.  These mini treats are ideal as a dessert, served with fresh redcurrant berries or on their own for afternoon tea and they also make a great gift.”

Not all sugars are the same.  Many are only brown on the outside, underneath, they are really white sugar which has been coated to add colour and some flavour.  Billington’s sugars are different.  They are unrefined so the sugars are very simply produced with the aim of locking in, rather than refining out, the natural molasses of the sugar cane.  It is this difference that gives unrefined sugar its superior flavour and natural colour.

Billington’s unrefined sugars are available in all major supermarkets. For inspirational and festive baking ideas visit www.baking.mad.com, the first port of call for everything to do with baking. Whether you’re an experienced baker or a novice, bakingmad.com offers a one-stop shop for recipes, tips, and advice.

Billington’s Mini Gold Christmas Loaves – serves 6

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan 160c) 350F/gas mark 4.

Grease and line six mini loaf tins.

Chinese recipes offer people the chance to experience a delicate balance of oriental flavours which complement one another perfectly. As Christmas is a time for getting together and enjoying great food, now is the perfect time to bring some eastern foods to the west by making some great Chinese recipes to accompany your traditional Christmas roast. What better way is there to use up any leftovers and create some fun and festive foodstuffs?

Chinese recipes are heavily dependent on fried rice and Jasmine rice is often used. Jasmine rice is fragrant, light, and short grained and can be bought in bulk or made yourself.

The best way to cook it is with a rice cooker- a very common household item and well worth the money if you intend to cook Chinese recipes regularly. You will need about two cups of refrigerated rice for a recipe which yields about four cups of fried rice – enough for about two people.

You will also need uncooked prawns, cut in thirds and marinated in a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce.

Pick up some lup cheong- a Chinese sausage that is smoked and dried. Prep the rest of your ingredients by finely chopping carrots, celery, peppers, and any other vegetables you want. Make a simple sauce of chicken stock with oyster sauce and of ketchup and finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok, rolling it around to evenly coat the bottom with the oil. Lightly scramble 4 eggs in the oil.

When scrambled, remove it from the wok and add another tablespoon of oil to the wok and add the minced garlic. Stir fry this for about 30 seconds and add the chopped lop cheong.

Stir-fry for about 3 minutes before adding the chopped vegetables.

After about 3 minutes, add the shrimp with marinade and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes.

Add your refrigerated rice, using a spatula to break up the clumps. You want the rice to be completely hot, so stir-fry for about 5 minutes.

Lastly, drizzle the sauce around the outside of the rice, stirring to mix evenly. It may not be necessary to use all of the sauce so make sure you keep an eye on the consistency and texture to prevent it from becoming over saturated or soggy.

Turn the heat off and stir in the scrambled egg.

Then all you need to do is serve this as one of your Christmas recipes, giving friends and family members something different to accompany their traditional meal. This can be served as either a starter or as a side dish and is incredibly popular during winter.

Make sure you garnish and season the meal and consider using herb and spice mixes from companies such as Schwartz. These will be easier to use than fresh ingredients and will ensure you get a good balance of foods and flavours.

Here is a seasonal pumpkin and ginger soup recipe courtesy of Opies.

Ingredients:

A large knob of butter
1 small leek, roughly chopped and washed
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
30g Opies ginger, scraped and finely chopped
1tsp cumin seeds
1 small chilli, chopped
A few sprigs of thyme
1kg ripe yellow pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock (or a couple of good quality stock cubes dissolved in that amount of boiling water will do)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

Method:

Gently cook the leek, onion, ginger, cumin seeds, chilli and thyme in the butter in a large saucepan until soft.

Add the pumpkin and vegetable stock, bring to the boil, season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 20 minutes.
Blend in a liquidiser until smooth, then strain through a fine-meshed sieve.

Re-heat the soup and adjust the consistency with a little vegetable stock or water if necessary and re-season with salt and pepper.

Spaghetti Bolognese is undoubtedly the most ‘classic’ and mostly loved Italian recipe worldwide. Dating back to the 5^th century its ‘formal’ ingredients have varied greatly throughout the years but most modern chefs consider them to be: beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, oregano, tomato paste, meat broth, wine and salt/pepper, nutmeg, sugar and basil to taste.

Today Schwartz Spaghetti Bolognese pack combines most of the above making Bolognese sauce extremely simple and quick to prepare. Having said that, the people of Bologna will tell you that an authentic Spaghetti Bolognese needs to cook for at least 5-6 hours but unfortunately we aren’t all lucky to live in an Italian city where the pace of life is slow, relaxing and enjoyable. Below find the original Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe tailored around the needs of a modern cook.

Serving Guide

Serves 4

Prep Time

30 mins

Cooking Time

1 hr

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

6 rashers of streaky ‘pancetta’ bacon, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

Stick of celery

1 packet Schwartz Spaghetti Bolognese

1kg/2¼lb lean minced beef

2 large glasses of red wine

2x400g cans chopped tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

800g-1kg/1¾-2¼lb dried tagliatelle (people of Bologna will tell you that this is the traditional way)

freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the bacon until golden over a medium heat.

2. Add the contents of the Schwartz Spaghetti Bolognese pack and carry on frying until softened.

3. Increase the heat and add the minced beef. Fry it until browned.

4. Pour in the wine and simmer until it reduces in volume by about a third.

5. Stir in the tomatoes, carrots and celery.

6. Cover with the lid and simmer over a gentle heat for 1 hour until thickened

7. Make sure to keep an eye on it and stir occasionally, adding water if necessary.

8. In the meanwhile cook the tagliatelle in plenty of boiling salty water.

9. When ready sprinkle a little parmesan over the pasta before adding the sauce and finish with a handful of cheese and some cracked black pepper.

Schwartz Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients

Wheat Flour, Potato Starch, Tomato Powder (14%), Salt, Garlic Powder (3%), Flavouring, Onion Powder, Basil, Herbs, Sugar, Black Pepper, Oregano, Nutmeg.

SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS

NO HYDROGENATED FAT

NO ADDED PRESERVATIVES

NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS

SUITABLE FOR FREEZING

The sauce is suitable for freezing. Transfer the cooked recipe to an airtight container, let it cool down. Place in the freezer for up to 1 month. Before cooking, defrost thoroughly overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer to a saucepan and heat gently over a medium-heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot throughout. You cannot re-heat food in a slow cooker.

Allergy Advice

This product contains Wheat

Nutritional Information

Energy: 114 Kcal

Protein: 3.7 g

Carbohydrates: 24 g

of which sugars: 5.4 g

Fat: 0.6 g

of which saturates: 0.2 g

Fibre: 2.8 g

Sodium: 1.8 g

Loseley Summer Meadow Butter makes parsnip and apple soup

There is nothing like a thick, tasty soup to keep out the winter chills, and one of the best combinations ever is a marriage of tart cooking apples and sweet parsnip.

Unlike many soups, this delicious fare take only 10 minute to prepare, and depending on how naughty you feel, you can opt for either the low calorie or creamy version.

INGREDIENTS

Loseley Summer Meadow Butter 50g (2oz)
Dessert Apple 1, cored, peeled and sliced
Parsnips 680g (1½ lb), peeled and sliced
Bramley cooking apple 1, cored, peeled and sliced
Vegetable stock 1¼ litres (2 pints)
Sage leaves 4, plus extra to garnish
Whole cloves 2
Single cream 150ml (¼ pint)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Melt the half butter in a large saucepan and add the dessert apple slices. Sauté until lightly browned, remove and set aside. Melt the remaining Loseley Summer Meadow Butter and add the parsnips and cooking apple. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Pour the stock into the saucepan and add the sage and cloves. Bring to the boil, cover and then simmer for 3o minutes, until the parsnip is softened.
3. Remove the sage leaves and cloves, then puree in a blender or food processor. Return to the saucepan and reheat gently with the cream. Season to taste. Serve hot, garnished with the sage leaves and apple slices and serve with granary bread.

10 minutes preparation time
40 minutes cooking time
172 Kcal per portion
10g fat per portion of which
5.2g is saturated
6 servings
Suitable for freezing
Suitable for vegetarians

Cooks Tip

If you prefer, use ½ tsp of dried sage when cooking the parsnips. For a lower fat version, simply omit the cream – the soup still tastes really good.

Loseley Summer Meadow Butter is packed in a 250g tub and costs £1.29p.

Loseley Chilled Foods are available from the chilled cabinet of local independent grocers, Morrisons and Waitrose. Visit www.loseley.com for more information

You can easily make your own Kiev burgers with minced meat if you have the right recipe, as the Kiev video proves with the help of the right cook, anyone can produce a perfect dish.  In fact, the only thing you need are a few tips and some ingredients and you can have Kiev’s out on the grill cooking and ready to eat in just a few minutes.

To start with you will have to make sure that you have mince, courgette, a lemon, butter, and some parsley.  The butter you will want to keep at room temperature and then mince a bit of garlic and toss it into the butter.  Chop up a bit of the parsley and then put it in the bowl as well.  Now you can use your hand to mass up the butter so that you have a parsley garlic butter that is flavoured and set.  Place it into some cling film and use the wrap to shape it into a roll or ball, after which you can place a few pieces into the fridge for half an hour.

After the butter is set you can slice it into rounds and put it aside.  In the meantime, mince some peppers, sun dried tomatoes, lemon zest, or any other of your favourite vegetables along with some salt and pepper and mash into the minced meat.  Make a ball about the size of a tennis ball, push a hole into it, fill the hole with the garlic ball, and then seal back over.  Now you have the actual frame of the burger, which will also rest for twenty minutes in the fridge.

All that is left to do is spread some oil over the burgers and pop them onto a grill and you will be ready to go as fast as your grill can cook proving that with the right video aid gourmet style cooking is always within your reach.

Some wonder if the trend of wood fired cooking in the UK will stay as it starts to grow strong momentum. With the increased interest in wood fired cooking the makers of wood fired pizza ovens, the Stone Bake Oven Company hand out all the advice you need to make informed decisions as to whether you should buy your own oven.

The wood fired oven industry was once just a specialist way of cooking reserved for pizzeria restaurants and Italian families but a celebrity effect has been experienced with many of them purchasing their own wood fired ovens. This was due in part to the truly authentic flavours that can only come from a wood fired oven and also related in part to the prestige and price tag that such ovens carry thus making them almost mandatory in the world of the celebrities.

What followed was new interest in the products of wood burning, by the general public and as the demand increased the Stone Bake Oven Company was there for the people offering high quality yet affordably priceed wood fired ovens for both the garden and home.

So is this new market trend a fad on its way through the market? Or is it set to stay?

Well, unlike other craze products to have ever come to market, which seem like a great idea at the time (cue yogurt maker) and ends up gathering dust in your home or kitchen, or cobwebs in the garden, a wood fired oven revives the oldest and most traditional method of cooking there could ever be, cooking on an open fire. After all, cooking in this way dates right back to beginning of civilisation! So I suppose wood fired cooking isn’t a fad at all, it just seems to have been revitalised with some good TV promotion and some guidance and re-invention by companies such as the Stone Bake Oven Company.

If you’ve ever tried authentic wood fired food yourself, it seems you’ll know what the fuss is about, with the ability to roast, grill, bake and sear a wood fired oven can cook virtually anything, as well as original Neapolitan pizza in less than 90 seconds.

For everything you need to know about wood fired cooking, including FREE recipe’s, The Stone Bake oven Company have taken wood fired ovens from a ‘must have’ to a CAN have, with a range of affordable indoor and outdoor pizza ovens.

For more information simply visit www.thestonebakeovencompany.co.uk