Hello

Welcome to Yet Another Cooking Blog.

As you may have guessed, this is a blog about cooking - in particular my cooking. It has been mentioned to me several times that I seem a little obsessed with food, so I have decided to blog about my menus, my successes, my failures and anything else that springs to mind

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Week 52 dinner menu

Monday - Roast capon, new potatoes and pickles
Tuesday - Crispy beef with chilli, egg fried rice
Wednesday - Roast gammon, leftover capon, mash and pickles
Thursday - Capon curry and rice
Friday - Chicken fajitas with sour cream, guacamole and salsa
Saturday - Raclette
Sunday - Spaghetti amatriciana, garlic bread and salad

Thursday 22 December 2011

Satans christmas cake

This years recipe has been given to me by a friend, who inherited it from an ex mother in law, who became known as Satan (hence the name of the cake).  This cake should be made at least 8 weeks before it is due to be eaten, so that it has time to mature.


Ingredients


225g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mixed spice
200g butter
200g dark brown sugar
2 tbsp black treacle
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
4 medium eggs, lightly beaten
800g dried mixed fruit
100g chopped mixed peel
150g glace cherries halved
100g blanched almonds, chopped
3 tbsp brandy

Bottle brandy or whisky

Instructions


At least one week before you intend to bake the cake, put all of the fruit into a large bowl, and  pour over plenty of brandy or whisky so that the fruit can soak it up.  If you feel it would be too boozy for your taste, you can substitute apple or orange juice (I used mainly calvados, with a little apple juice).  Stir occasionally and top up if it drinks all of the liquid too quickly.

Cooking time : 3-4 hours


Oven gas mark 2/150 deg C


1.  Grease a 20cm round or 18cm square deep cake tin and line the base and sides with a double layer of greaseproof paper.  If you have some brown paper (parcel paper) or corrugated cardboard wrap a layer around the outside of the tin and tie with string (this helps to keep a little of the heat off the edges of the cake)

2.  Sieve together the flour, salt and mixed spice.

3.  In a separate bowl, cream the butter, sugar, treacle, and vanilla essence together until light and fluffy.

4.  Beat the eggs into the wet mix, a little at a time, adding a tbsp of the flour mix with the last amount.

5.  fold in the remaining flour, then the fruit and almonds.

6.  Turn into the prepared cake tin and make a slight hollow in the centre.

7.  Bake in a cool oven for 3-4 hours, testing after 3 hours by inserting a skewer into the middle; if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.

8.  Once cooked remove from the oven and leave in the tin on a rack until cold.

9.  Make a few holes in the top of the cake with a skewer and feed the cake the whisky or brandy.

10.  Wrap well with two layers of greaseproof paper then a layer of foil (making sure the foil doesn't touch the cake at all.

11.  Once a week unwrap the cake and feed it with a little whisky or brandy - 1-2 tbsp is plenty.

12.  A few days before it is due to be eaten, cover with marzipan (I used shop bought).  Leave this to air dry at least 24 hours, then ice with royal icing and decorate.





Monday 19 December 2011

Week 51 dinner menu

Monday - Roast chicken and all the trimmings
Tuesday - Thai red chicken curry, sticky rice
Wednesday - Jacket potato with cheese and baked beans
Thursday - Salmon, boiled potatoes and peas
Friday - Chilli con carne and rice or flatbreads
Saturday - Party food - antipasti, dates wrapped in bacon, crusty bread and cheese, olives, nuts, crisps, crudite, salmon vol-au-vents
Sunday - Roast rib of beef, yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, honeyed carrots and parsnips, peas, gravy and horseradish mustard
Sunday dessert - Christmas pudding with brandy butter/brandy cream

Monday 12 December 2011

Week 50 dinner menu

Monday - Beef bourgignon and mash
Tuesday - Thai red chicken curry and rice
Wednesday - Sausages and mash with onion gravy
Thursday - Pasta bolognaise and garlic bread
Friday - Gammon steaks, roasted cauliflower, mash potato and parsley sauce
Saturday - Home made pizza - toppings on the day
Sunday - Roast chicken and all the trimmings

Saturday 3 December 2011

Week 49 dinner menu

Monday - Chicken fajitas
Tuesday - Stir fried brussel sprouts with pancetta
Wednesday - Indonesian satay platter - Chicken satay, prawn crackers and atjar tjampoer
Thursday - Pasta bolognaise
Friday - Cod, potatoes and carrots
Saturday - Bami goreng
Sunday - Beef bourgignon and mash