Another Rhubarb Sponge recipe

We had some friends to dinner during the winter and I served a fruit sponge for desert. I used nectarines, as I had some in the freezer from last year. It was pronounced delicious by our guests. 

                    

My friend asked me this week if I thought rhubarb would work as well and I said that it would. I’ve often made it with rhubarb and it’s lovely. She’s having french neighbours to dinner this weekend and asked for the recipe. It’s a recipe that my grandmother taught me years ago, although I’ve added milk which gives a lighter pudding.  

   

It occurred to me that since I’d been posting about rhubarb recently, and some of us still seem to have plenty, it might be of use to you, dear readers. So here it is. I know the days are much warmer but there’s still the odd evening when the temperature drops and a light, warming pudding is just the thing. Enjoy!          

 

Rhubarb Sponge Serves 6-8

(to make a smaller dessert, for four, simply reduce the three main ingredients for the sponge to 4oz (100 gms) each and no more than two eggs)

 

1-1 1/2 lbs (500 -750 gms) rhubarb 

2 tablespoons sugar

6 oz (170 gms) softened butter

6 oz (170 gms) sugar

2 large or 3 small eggs

6 oz (170 gms) self-raising flour (or 6 oz flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder mixed together)

milk

 

Set oven to 180 degrees C.

 

Top and tail rhubarb and cut into 1 1/2 inch (4cm) lengths. Place in 2 litre oven proof dish and sprinkle with first amount of sugar.

 

Put butter and sugar in bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition. Add flour and fold in until combined. Add a little milk, if necessary, to give a soft consistency. If the mix starts to curdle, you’ve added too much milk. Just add a small amount of flour and stir in until the mix is combined again. Pour over the rhubarb, spreading if necessary, to just cover the fruit.

 

Bake for 35-55 minutes. Test the sponge top as you would a cake*, to make sure it is done. Serve with cream or vanilla ice cream. Or with custard!

      

* To test whether a cake is done, push a clean skewer or knife into the centre of the cake, or in this case, the sponge topping. If the knife comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

 

Rhubarb, rhubarb,…

With the warmer weather we are experiencing at the moment, the kitchen garden is starting to produce. We’ve had lettuce, rocket and tiny radishes (from the thinnings) for salads, so far.

The carrots and parsnips are just showing but the peas, potatoes and runner beans are really taking off. We’re trying potatoes in huge bins this year as an experiment. I’ll let you know how they get on.

The cats are enjoying climbing the bean frame H has put up. He is not impressed.  

The strawberry plants are looking very healthy and exhibiting some flowers. H bought some red flowered ones, suitable for hanging baskets or containers, from the plant place near Ranes. I’ve never seen them before so it will be interesting to see what they are like.

I bought some French strawberries in the market in Bagnoles de l’Orne on Saturday morning, which were delicious. Red right through and so sweet! I wish I had asked what variety they were, but you think of these things afterwards, don’t you!

Did you know ‘Rhubarb, rhubarb, …’, is what actors used to mutter to each other on stage to suggest conversation to the audience? The rhubarb plants are going mad. We only have three plants but they’ve produced masses of fruit. Here’s a link to a recipe, posted earlier this year, for Rhubarb and Banana Jam. 

Enjoy! 

 

Slow cooked Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms

(Correction: If you’ve read this post before, note slight change to first line of preparation details. Sorry, should have read wash leeks (as it does now) not chicken.

It’s been so warm, for the most part, here in the Orne for the last week or so, that we haven’t bothered lighting the kitchen range. I’ve had such a great time cooking on it this winter that I’m quite sad in a way. I’ve made some great casseroles, slow cooking them on the top of the range or in the oven. And it’s been wonderful for bread, too. And, apart from that, I don’t have to remember to turn off the electric elements after I’ve used them!

However, a couple of days ago, the temperature suddenly dipped around lunchtime and we did light it. Great, I thought, a good opportunity for a last winter-type casserole slow cooked in the range. I prepared it just after lunch and put it in the oven at about half past four. The casserole cooked slowly for several hours but before too long, the house was filled with the appetising aroma of chicken and herbs. I served it with plain boiled potatoes, skins left on because we prefer them that way, and green peas. The following day, as it was still cool, I reheated the casserole, added dumplings and served it with cabbage, lightly braised with butter and black pepper. Might be the last one for a while, so I’m glad the casserole came out so well.

I have to admit that I make up what goes in my casseroles as I go along. It usually depends on what I’ve bought at the market, or what’s in my vegetable basket. I have given measurements in the recipe but feel free to adjust them. Leeks and mushrooms are such great partners for chicken, that I’d stick with those as the main ingredients, but otherwise use whatever you like. You will need a 2 litre casserole .

Slow cooked Chicken with Leeks and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 4 whole chicken legs (skin left on - I didn’t brown them this time but I often do. Up to you.)
• 4 leeks (2 for initial cooking - 2 to add later)
• about half a punnet of mushrooms (button ones because that was what I happened to have, field mushrooms would be great)
• 2 shallots
• bay leaf
• 2-3 sprigs thyme (I used lemon thyme for this and it was lovely)
• 1-2 cloves garlic (chopped finely, or crushed)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• vegetable stock (enough to just cover the chicken)

Wash and cut leeks into half inch slices, remembering to keep them in two batches. Peel and slice shallots. 

Put the shallots, one batch of leeks, bay leaf, thyme sprigs and garlic in the bottom of the casserole dish. Carefully place the chicken legs on top, only overlapping where you need. Season with salt and pepper. Cover all with vegetable stock, until the legs are just covered. Cover with lid and put the casserole on the floor of your range cooker, (or the centre of your oven at about 160 degrees C) and keep the temperature around 160 degrees C. After about two hours cooking time, the meat should be lovely and tender. 

Move the casserole to the stove top, remove bay leaf and thyme stalks and add the second batch of leeks and the mushrooms, whole, or chopped into two or three pieces, depending on size and cook a further 15-20 minutes. If you need to thicken the casserole, mix a small amount of cornflour with cold water and stir it into the casserole. Cook a further 2-3 minutes.

(I overdid the cooking time and by the time I got back to it, the casserole had been cooking for about three and a half hours. Hadn’t done it any harm, taste-wise, but the meat just fell off the bone.  I removed the bones carefully with a slotted spoon, and the skin as well, and then carried on with the preparation as above.. Obviously, if you want to serve the legs, looking like legs, don’t get busy with something else, and check the casserole after about an hour and a half.)

Enjoy!

 

Potatoes - Nutritional treasures

The humble potato has been in cultivation, originally by the people of the Andes, for more than three thousand years. The Spanish Conquistadors brought the tubers to Europe in the sixteenth century, although they were not recognised as truly edible until the following century, when they became popular in Europe.

Today, some 3000 varieties exist worldwide, although most people would recognise only a few of the most well-known. For many years, potatoes formed the staple diet of the poor all over Europe and North America: they were easy to grow, cropped heavily and were cheap to buy. However, today the potato is honoured by chefs and new recipes are being created all the time.

Potatoes taste good but also provide many essential nutrients. 100 gms of potato provide about half the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C. They contain high levels of potassium and iron as well as magnesium. They are low in fat and contain no cholesterol. They are also a good source of fibre, especially when eaten with the skins. Even people who are following a ‘diet’ can eat potatoes by choosing the cooking method and accompaniments. 100 gms of potatoes alone have only 85 kcals when baked or boiled.

Mashed potatoes are the ultimate in comfort food. Cook in barely salted water until soft, then mash with a knob of butter and some milk. Mmmmm. Grated cheese and finely chopped onion or chives also add to the taste. Watching the fats? Try adding a few drops of good olive oil instead.

Perfect roasted potatoes can be achieved by partly boiling peeled and cut potatoes for about ten minutes. (This doesn’t work if you like them roasted in their skins.) Drain them and give the saucepan a good shake - keep the lid on tightly. This breaks up the surface of the potato so that, when it is roasted in a hot oven, the rough edges become crisp. Delicious!

 Did you know?

2008 is the UN international year of the potato. Official website here .

In Europe, Germany, the Netherlands and France are the major producers of potatoes. Many kilos of potatoes per person per year are consumed in France, often in some form of potato product, such as frites.

 

 

Every man needs his shed

H has been very happy today. He’s finally, almost, finished the shed he started building last September! He would have finished today, he assures me, if it hadn’t rained.

For much of the last year, it has been a very ordinary shed, sitting at the end of the kitchen garden. At times, because the roof leaked and there was no window in place, it was covered with a tarpaulin to keep out the rain. Then, when that didn’t work very well, with a board nailed over the empty space where the window should be.

But no longer is it an ordinary shed. Now, it has a lean-to built on one side for the mower, the woodchipper, and other such garden essentials. H has plans for putting trellis on the outside and is considering moving my beloved blueberry bushes down beside the shed,  ’where the ground will be more suitable for them’.

But, the biggest change is that it now boasts a lovely new front with a window in the centre. And not just any window. Oh, no. This is a double-glazed window. Yes, you read that right. A double-glazed window! How many other sheds have double-glazing, I wonder?

And why? Because somebody made a mistake when ordering the windows for the extension, didn’t he? And, didn’t realise until it was far too late to take it back.

Or was it all a plot to give himself some extra comfort in his shed, while he drinks his tea and snacks on blueberry muffins!

Blueberry Muffins (these are H’s favourite )

• 50 gms (2 ozs) butter
• 50 gms (2 ozs) sugar
• 2 eggs
• 225 gms (8 ozs) self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• milk (approxomately 5 tablespoons)
• 225 gms (8 ozs) blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Set your oven to 220 degrees C. Either sit large muffin paper cases in muffin tin or grease individual cups in tin. Makes 12.

Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat into creamed mixture. Add dry ingredients and mix well but gently, adding enough milk to give a soft dropping consistency. Finally, stir in the blueberries. (If you are using frozen ones, you don’t need to thaw them first.)

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases or cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Cool on  a wire rack, though they are lovely eaten warm.

 

Baking bread

When I cannot be bothered to drive to the nearest boulangerie for bread, I make my own. This usually happens four or five times a month and after I’ve spent a few minutes kneading and working the dough, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. It’s very therapeutic!

I use fast acting yeast, which comes in powdered form and needs only one kneading and proving session. I have a very simple recipe which I make up sometimes using white and at other times using a multi-cereal flour. The amount of dough makes one loaf. I usually use a 2lb loaf tin which I have had for years, though occasionally, I take balls of dough (about 7-9) and place them in a round tin for rolls (one roll in the middle and the rest round it).

The bread has a lovely texture and slices beautifully. It also keeps well, too.

 Basic Bread Recipe

• 500 gms strong flour, white or multi cereal  (Pain or Pain multi-céréales)
• 2 sachets quick acting yeast (Levure du Boulanger Super Active)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 300 gms tepid water (275 gms if using multi-cereal flour ) and yes, I do weigh it!

Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir lightly together, leaving a slight well in the centre. Add the water. Mix well with a large spoon, until the flour has been just about incorporated. Don’t be tempted to add any more water, it will work.

Tip dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Work any remaining flour into the dough with your fingers, then knead for 5-10 minutes until it feels smooth and elastic. Mould roughly into the shape of the tin.

Place in the greased tin and cover with oiled film. Put in a warm place for about 2 hours to rise.

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Put dough in oven to cook for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Bread is cooked when it sounds hollow when tapped on the base.  

Tip out onto a cake rack and leave to cool for at least half an hour.

 

Easter delights

As Easter draws nearer, very quickly this year as it’s so early, our thoughts turn towards the baked delights of Easter. Chocolate eggs, bunnies, chickens, etc., are all very well and much loved here in France but nothing can compare with the smell of newly baked Hot Cross Buns fresh from the oven.

I sometimes wonder how much of the joy of Easter (in a culinary sense) is lost by the fact that Hot Cross Buns are available for much of the year in English supermarkets. It used to be that they were on the shelves for only a few weeks prior to Easter but these days they seem to be always there. When we moved to France, we couldn’t buy them; the French don’t make them. Although, if my neighbours are anything to go by, they do enjoy them.

This is a recipe I tried for the first time last year, adapting for French ingredients. It was a big hit with H who could take or leave them in the UK (yes, I was guilty of buying them). I think it might have been that they were less spicy, had more fruit in them and no peel, but I’m just guessing.

Hot Cross Buns

• 500 gms (1lb) white bread flour 
• 75 gms (3oz) butter
• 75 gms (3oz) caster sugar
• 2 x 4.6 gm sachets ’super active’ dried yeast (quick acting)
• 200-300 gms (8-10 ozs) dried fruit (I used raisins, sultanas and currants in quantities that I mixed myself.)
• 1 level teaspoon mixed spice (You could a little more if you like your buns spicier.)
• 1/2 level teaspoon salt
• 275 ml (9 fl oz) milk (just warm) 
• 1 small egg

For Crosses and Glaze

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons caster sugar

Method:

Place flour and butter into a large bowl, rubbing together until mixture is like fine breadcrumbs. Add sugar, yeast, fruit, spice and salt and stir in. Beat milk and egg together gently and add to the flour mixture. Don’t add it all at once - use just enough to produce a soft dough that can be handled.

Lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out on to it. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic ( about ten minutes). 

This amount of dough will make about 12 buns. Cut off equal sized pieces and roll lightly into ball shapes. Place the balls of dough on a baking sheet, cover with oiled cling film and leave to double in size in a warm place. 

Turn on your oven to 220 degrees C.

Make the crosses by adding about 3-4 tablespoons of water to the flour. Mix to a smooth paste, the consistency of very thick cream. Either use a disposable piping bag, or make your own from a clean plastic bag, snipping the corner off after you have filled the bag. Make cross shapes on the buns.

At this stage, the buns are ready to be cooked. They will take about 15-20 minutes to rise, turn golden and sound hollow when tapped on the base.

While the buns are cooking, make the glaze, by adding 3 tablespoons of water to the sugar in a small saucepan. Stir gently over medium heat until sugar has melted. To get a syrupy mixture, boil the sugar water for a few minutes, watching it all the time. Take off the heat.

 When the buns are cooked, take out of the oven and set them on a cooling rack. Brush over the hot syrup immediately to glaze.

Hot Cross Buns can be served warm or cold, spread with butter. I like them split in half and toasted the next day. Delicious!

P.S. If you have any left, these will freeze for a few weeks, in a sealed plastic bag or container.

Personally, I like mine fresh, at Easter. Part of the seasonal thing, I suppose. Anyway, enjoy!

 

Savoury quiches - the perfect lunch dish

Now the weather is warming up a little in the Orne, we look forward to something other than soup at midday. Quiches are the perfect lunch dish, served warm or cold. Whatever the filling, and I’m always experimenting with whatever vegetables I have in the basket, they go really well with a simple accompaniment of mâche (lambs lettuce) lightly dressed with olive oil or vinaigrette.

I love the french pâte, sold in the supermarkets, ready rolled and cut to the size of a large quiche dish. You can use the baking paper it comes wrapped in which makes it very convenient to use and keeps the mess down. I’m not great at making pastry so I figure, why bother, when I can get it so easily. My favourite is feuilletté (flaky pastry) which is perfect for savoury quiches.

I usually start with a basic mix which consists of 4 eggs (depending on size of egg and dish) and milk, or cream, with salt and pepper. I put these in a bowl and lightly mix together with a hand whisk. I layer the vegetables I’ve chosen over the base of the pastry and then carefully pour over the egg mixture. I bake for about 30 minutes at about 200 degreesC, until firm to the touch and golden brown.

Three pepper quiche: chopped and de-seeded peppers (green, red and yellow) spread in the base of the dish and the egg mixture poured over was enthusiastically received by H. when I made it for lunch one day last week.

Other variations I tried last summer include:

• spinach, cooked and squeezed of as much moisture as possible, with grated cheese;
• broccoli, broken into small florets, and blue cheese (my favourite is Bleu d’Auvergne) but any will do;
•  finely sliced leek and grated cheese;
• finely chopped courgette and peppers, (make sure you put the courgette on top of the peppers as it has a tendency to soak into the pastry otherwise);
• as well as the traditional lardons (finely chopped bacon) and chopped onion, to which I sometimes add grated cheese.

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Here’s a photo of ‘one I made earlier’, which first appeared on another blog I wrote last year about moving to France.

                                                                                            

 

Runner beans - update

My earlier post about finding runner beans at the market (17 February) may not have been quite right. While they certainly looked like young runner beans, H now thinks they may, in fact, be flat French beans. Not that it really matters as they tasted lovely anyway. However, if anyone knows what ‘coco plat’ are, it would be interesting to know.

H is determined that we shall have some runner beans this year, though, and has bought some seeds and is waiting for the right time to plant them. He put his tiny pea seedlings out under pea sticks yesterday and now it’s raining again quite heavily, so I hope they don’t drown. Still, the rain is doing his leeks good, he says.

 

Spring Recipe - A Savoury Crumble

Although we British tend to think in terms of fruit when someone mentions the word ‘crumble’, the French have no such inhibitions. Many recipes can be found in modern french magazines which feature crumbles over meat or vegetable based dishes. This is one I found; where it came from I cannot remember. One of those things that I’ve had for years and always meant to use. Pulled the recipe out the other day, well, actually, it fell out of an old folder when I was looking for something else, but it looked good so I made it for dinner. Makes enough for four, so H had the left overs for lunch next day. Delicious!

Lamb and Vegetable Crumble

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 450 gms (1lb) lean minced lamb
• 1 stick celery
• 2 medium onions
• 2 carrots
• large sprig rosemary
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 3 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (use your own judgement here)
• 3/4 pint lamb (or vegetable) stock
• salt and pepper
• 1 tin (150-200gms) sweetcorn (drained)

Crumble mix

• 75gms (3oz)wholemeal flour (I used farine de complét)
• 75gms plain flour
• 75gms butter
• 100 gms (4oz) mature cheddar, grated (I used 6 month old Comte, which worked well.)
• 2-3 tablespoons chives

Preheat the oven to 180-190 degreesC (350-275 degrees F).

Heat the oil in a large pan over a moderate heat. Add the lamb mince and cook for 5-8 minutes until browned. Finely chop celery, peel and finely chop onions and peel and dice carrots. Add all vegetables to mince. Cook for five minutes. Finely chop rosemary and add to mince. Stir in flour, tomato purée, Worcestershire Sauce and stock. Add salt and pepper to season. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add sweetcorn and cook one minute.

 Spoon the lamb mixture into a 1.2litre (2 pint) oven proof dish. If you like, you can use 4 individual serving dishes, oven proof and approximately 300ml (1/2 pint).

Place wholemeal and plain flours into a large bowl. Cut butter into cubes and add to flour. Rub the butter into the flour until it is like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in cheese and finely snip chives. Mix well and sprinkle over the lamb mixture.

Bake the crumble until bubbling; for 25-30 minutes if one dish is used or 15-20 minutes for individual dishes