This is the pudding that I came up with for the recent foodbloggers’ Masterchef cookoff with Miele.    When planning a menu it is perfectly normal and reasonable to come up with a pudding first and then plan a main course to go with it?   I wanted a very summery pudding using my homemade elderflower cordial;  it also had to be very quick to make, impossible to mess up and hopefully delicious.   I think that I have attained all 3 requisites here.   Looking back over my archives it would also seem that possets will freeze well too.

As these possets have extra liquid from the cordial added to them I used extra thick double cream to make sure they set.

Lime & Elderflower Possets (makes 4 – 6)

284 ml carton extra thick double cream
2 oz sugar
juice and zest of one lime
1tbs (15ml) elderflower cordial

Simply scrape the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil keep a close eye on it as  it can very rapidly (and messily) boil over.  While the cream heats zest the lime into the pan.   Once it boils, add the sugar, lime juice and cordial.   Simmer for a minute stirring well until the sugar has dissolved.     Pour into serving dishes – 4 ramekins or 6 espresso cups.   Chill until set before serving.    I made these and they were set in under an hour.

I served with strawberries marinated in elderflower cordial and Irish lace biscuits (recipe to come)

London is hot hot hot and humid to boot.    I am positively enjoying my supermarket trips at the moment as I linger  and closely examine every object in the frozen section.    And what better for these hot summer mornings than ice cream for breakfast?    This is totally healthy, unprocessed, raw and vegan and tastes fantastic.   What better way to start (or end) your hot summer days?

This is another contribution to my series of easy, economical and healthy recipes of what to do with the contents of the co-op “boxes” for the Food Co-ops and Buying Groups project run by Sustain – also part of the Making Local Food Work programme funded by the Big Lottery.

The secret behind this ice cream is blended frozen banana which has been written about all over the internet many times before.   When put into the food processor the frozen banana transforms into a fluffy creamy mousse like ice cream, add some milk and it makes the perfect smoothie base.    Try it and be amazed!  Peel and slice the bananas into 2″ pieces and freeze on a baking tray.  When frozen pack into boxes.   I now always have several boxed of bananas and soft fruit in the freezer for smoothies and ice cream.     I think that this would also be perfect for fruit hating children.

Banana & Strawberry Ice “Cream” (serves 2)

3 frozen bananas
handful frozen strawberries
handful fresh strawberries
Cacao nibs to sprinkle (optional)

Put the banana and strawberries into your food processor and leave for a few minutes to slightly soften and then process.   Depending how powerful your machine is you may need to add a little milk and scrape the sides of the bowl down to speed the process along.      The fruit will slowly transform into a fluffy whipped ice “cream” resembling Mr Whippy ice cream.    Serve immediately with some more fresh fruit and a sprinkling of cacao nibs.   Eat immediately.

This week’s Blogger Secret Ingredient is hosted by Jenn who is responsible for the wonderful Jenn Cuisine,  she has choosen honey as her secret ingredient.

For my submission I wanted to make a springtime deeply feminine cake, with spelt flower and almonds, sweetened with honey and flavoured with orange blossom water.   I would have liked few drops of pink food colouring in the frosting to make it even more spring like, girlie and carefree!

Having written the post I discovered that sadly the cake is utterly horrible – with a nasty bitter aftertaste.    If anyone has any ideas why please let me know.     At least the frosting is nice – I do recommend a bowlful and a spoon!  I still really like the idea of a apricot and orange blossom cake, I shall try again without the nuts and honey.

Honey, Apricot & Orange Blossom Cake (serves 6)

Dry Ingredients
4oz / 100g spelt flour
2oz / 50g ground almonds
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
6 or so dried apricots chopped up small

Wet Ingredients
2oz / 50g  honey
2oz / 50g sunflower oil
40z / 100g milk – I used soy milk
1/2 tsp orange blossom water

Give the wet ingredients a good whisk to dissolve the honey, throughly mix the dry.    Pour the wet into the dry fold together (the batter should be lumpy and mixing should take no more than 15 folds).   Bake at GM5/190C/375F in a linied 6″ / 15cm cake tin for 20 – 25 mins until risen (when a tooth pick poked into the middle comes out clean it is done).   Leave for a few minutes, turn out (I find cakes made from spelt are very crumbly so be gentle) and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting
1 oz / 25 g butter or diary free spread
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp orange blossom water
4oz  / 100g icing sugar

Place all ingredients into a pudding basin and mix for a good few minutes with an electric beater until light and fluffy.   You may need to add a little more icing sugar or a drop more orange blossom water.

Frost cake, and decorate with a few nuts.

I feel that there should be a subtitle here along the lines of “What do I do with yet more cauliflower and cabbage?”

This week I ordered both fruit and vegetable bags from my local co-op.    Excellent value, this lot cost me only £6 and as explained last week benefits the local community and those unable to afford supermarket prices for their produce.    Please find out if you have a local co-op and support them if you are able.

I am now off to find  cauliflower and cabbage recipes!

Madhuram of Egg Less Cooking is challenging us to “Bake anything egg less using one or more of the whole grain forms of quinoa (whole quinoa, whole grain quinoa flour, quinoa flakes, quinoa cereal, etc).“  As I have  a) not taken part in a foodblogging event for ages and b) bake almost everything without eggs  I was keen to take part.   The obvious thing for me to make was, of course, muffins!      Muffins are one of my favourite things to bake and are a weekend breakfast tradition.

I used whole quinoa which I soaked overnight in apple juice then followed my usual vegan muffin recipe.   When baked the quinoa retained a some texture and crunch, the muffins were OK – far better with some jam and I want to try them again with some modifications.

Quinoa and Banana Muffins (makes 6)

“Dry” Ingredients
1 oz / 25g quinoa – soaked overnight in 3fl oz / 75ml apple juice
4.5oz / 110g plain flour
1.5oz / 35g sugar
1tsp baking power
pinch salt

“Wet” Ingredients
5oz / 125ml apple juice and milk*
1oz / 25ml sunflower oil
1 banana

Whizz the wet ingredients together using a stick blender.  Mix the dry ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together (the batter should be lumpy and mixing should take no more than 15 folds).   Bake at GM5/190C/375F in your favourite muffin pan for 20 – 25 mins until risen and dark golden.

These were far better with some fig jam.

* I used the remainder of the apple juice that the quinoa had been soaking in, made up to volume with soy milk.

Notes: I was not ecstatic with these.   I think that next time they need a little more oil, a different sugar to plain granulated and would benefit with some dried fruit or nuts.   I really liked the texture of the quinoa which I think would be lost if I used it pre cooked rather than soaked.

Many thanks to Madhuram for hosting and I am looking forward to seeing the round up!

Thanks to the awesome Sheri at Green and Crunchy I have a new favourite breakfast, it is quick to throw together and utterly delicious. This really is a non recipe as it is so easy, but an inspired idea and so quick as the tortillas defrost so fast you do not even need to remember to get them out of the freezer more than a few minutes before you need them.

I spread my tortilla with peanut butter, and added a good sprinkle of sunflower, pumpkin & hemp seeds then added a finely chopped apricot and topped with a ripe banana and rolled and ate.   Absolutely yummy and so easy.

Thanks Sheri!

I wanted to make a zesty pudding  for spring so used a combination of lemon and cardamon, being egg and diary free this pudding is also chlorestrol free, making cream an almost guilt free addition (this being the same logic that allows a pizza after the gym!).  The addition of the carrot adds extra sweetness and colour and by contributing to one of your 5 a day adds to the guilt free aspect of the pudding!

Lemon & Cardamon Steamed Pudding (Serves 4)

Lemon Cardamon Syrup
10 cardamon pods
4oz white sugar
1 lemon

Lightly crush the cardamon pods and remove the seeds, discard the cases.   Zest the lemon, then cut into quarters (you can juice it but boiliong the leomon quarters in the sugar syrup will extract all the flavour and save you the time of squeezing the lemon and then washing the squeezer).  Add to a saucepan along with the cardamon seeds and sugar, add 1/3pt water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 mins. Cool, squeeze the lemon rinds and discard.

Whilst the sauce is simmering prepare the pudding.

Pudding
Wet Ingredients
2oz sunflower oil
1oz lemon juice*
3oz milk (I used soy)

Dry Ingredients
4oz plain flour
2oz sugar
zest of one lemon
1 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 medium carrot finely grated.
6 cardamon pods – lightly crush – discard the outside and crush the black seeds.

Place the wet ingredients into a jug and whisk.  

Place the dry ingredients into a basin, mix well, pour the wet into the dry and stir well until you have a smooth batter with no lumps.

Grease a pudding basin, add half the lemon syrup, carefully pour the batter over, making sure the syrup is covered.  Cover with cling film and pierce once or twice.

Then microwave on full power until done It took 4 mins in mine, but as all microwaves are different cook in 1 min bursts until it it risen (I use a galss basin so I can see the pudding rise as it cooks) and a cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.    When cooked let it stand for a min or two.  Run a knife round the base, put a plate over the bowl and flip. the pudding should turn our, pour the rest of the syrup over and serve immediately.

 Note:  I adore cardamon and this pudding does taste strongly of it, so you may want to use slightly less than I have.

* Fuss Free Tip:  Freeze any left over lemon juice in an ice cube tray, each lemon cubeis perfect for adding to baking or for salad dressings.

I love gyoza and whenever I go to Chinatown I buy a few packets of wrappers to keep in the freezer until I next have a gyoza craving, I could make my own wrappers, but frankly life is far too short and the ready made ones are delicious, cheap and fuss free. Gyozas (or potstickers) are little pastry wrapped parcels that are fried and then steamed and eaten with a dipping sauce.

Gyozas are usually savoury, but recently I saw sweet gyozas on the menu at Root-Master and thought that it was a brilliant idea and set about recreating it at home. I filled them with stewed apple and blueberry and served them with a warm peanut butter sauce.

Apple and Blueberry Gyoza (makes about 20)

1 packet Gyoza wrappers

2 apples

1 tbs sugar

Handful blueberries (2 or 3 for each gyoza)

Stew the apples by peeling, coring and chopping and cook with the sugar and a dribble of water until they are soft and mushy I usually do this in the microwave. Allow to cool.

Stuff each wrapper with a teaspoon of apple and a couple of blueberries, wet the edge of the pastry and fold over and crimp and pleat to close (video here). I have a gyoza press (photos wtih a different filling) that I bought very very cheaply at the Japan Centre. Put the stuffed gyoza on a board, pressing down lightly to give it a base so it sits upright.

To cook the gyoza fry them in oil (light olive or sunflower) until they are browned on the base and both sides (I find it easier to work with 2 smaller frying pans), stand them up in the frying pan turn the heat right up and carefully pour about 1/3 mug of water over them. The water will furiously bubble and turn to steam, when the water has all evaporated the wrappers will start to look translucent. Take off the heat and serve immediately.

Hot Peanut Butter Sauce

Equal quantities of: (I used one heaped dessert spoon of each)

Peanut butter (smooth of crunchy)
Sugar (I used soft brown)
Marge or butter (I used Pure Soy)

Gently heat stirring all the time until the marge/butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Serve warm.

Spare uncooked gyoza can be frozen.

Fresh fruit and a hot sauce are perfect for those dull and damp summer evenings, when you want a hot pudding but also want to pretend to be healthy. This quick and easy pudding can be cooked in just a few minutes is very good for using up odd bits of fruit that are starting to turn – nectarines, bananas and apples would all work.

I used “stone clinger” peaches – those peaches that are overripe on the outside and still hard in the middle.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1oz butter
1oz soft light brown sugar
1tbs honey
Peaches, apples, nectarines, bananas or other fruit. 2 pieces per person is perfect.

Put the butter, sugar and honey into a saucepan (to save time and washing up just use a wooden spoon to approximately measure the honey) and heat on a medium heat stirring from time to time. Meanwhile cut the fruit into segments ready to add to the sauce.

When the sauce has thickened and is golden and bubbling add the fruit, stir for a minute until heated through.

Serve straight away, either by itself or with cream or ice cream.

I went to the North End Road market today, looking for fruit to either jam or make chutney.

There was lots and lots of citrus fruit so time for another batch of marmalade, this time using a mix of grapefruit, lemon, and lime. And I bought two huge bowls of bananas for £1 each for some more banana chutney.

All this for £5 (the picture shows about a third of it).

My new shopping bag (pictured) which I was sent for submitting a recipe for the UKTV’s People’s Cookbook was perfect, no need to take plastic bags that would cut into my hands and be thrown away as soon as I got home, comfort and green objectives achieved in one!

I now need to go out again and buy the sugar and vinegar that would have been too heavy to carry back with everything else.