0 Prune and raisin loaf cake - gluten free

Winter baking needs to be comforting and this loaf definitely hits the spot, ideal served with a good cup of tea. I have mentioned before that Mr LF is a member of a walking group and this has been tasted and approved by his fellow walkers, its also robust enough to survive being buffeted about in a rucksack or lunch box.

I love the sticky soft prunes which create large pockets of moist juicy fruitiness, this cake is naturally gluten free and improves with keeping, I have baked the recipe several times and would recommend that you use a quality cider or fruit juice as your soaking liquor as it really makes a difference to the overall flavour of the cake.

This version is taken from River Cottage Light and Easy and is also very similar to a tea loaf recipe I make a lot but instead of the raisins and prunes, I used the same quantity of dried fruit.

What you need

• 150g raisins or sultanas
• 150g soft pitted prunes
• 75g soft brown sugar
• 150ml cider, strong tea or fruit juice (apple or orange is good)
• Oil spray
• 1 egg - free range
• 100g rice flour or gluten free flour
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp mixed sweet spices

What you do

• Soak the fruit in the cider,tea or juice for a couple of hours, stir in the sugar until dissolved in a large baking bowl. I leave it covered with a tea towel in the kitchen
• Oil spray and base line a 2lb loaf tin
• Pare heat the oven to 170c
• Sieve the flour, almonds, baking powder and spices on to a plate ready for adding to the bowl
• Add the sieved flour and egg to the bowl containing the soaked fruits, mix thoroughly and then turn into the prepared loaf tin
• Bake for 50 to 55 mins until golden and well risen
• Cool initially in the tin and then cool fully on a wire rack
• Stores well in an airtight tin.

I am linking this post up to "Bake of the Week" over at Casa Costello, a general celebration of baking in all its forms.

                                                               

Detail: Prune and raisin loaf cake - gluten free

0 Black pudding and rhubarb parcels as featured on Paul Hollywoods Pies and Puds

Reader you may remember from an earlier post I was filmed for a slot on TV in the summer, so just so you have the recipe I have decided to write up a detailed post of the recipe I prepared. This savoury snack is great for the upcoming festive celebrations and also ideal for converting black pudding haters into black pudding lovers. 

For both the slot on TV and this recipe I used "The Bury Black pudding company" black pudding, but I like RS Irelands Black puddings too, in fact most butchers locally make their own black pudding, Browns Butchers in Chorley are legendary.

The recipe for these parcels is also featured in the Lancashire Recipe booklet that was published recently as well, so its becoming pretty famous. I love that this recipe features pretty lowly ingredients but by the end you have something glamorous and suitable for serving at any drinks party.

I am also pleased to say as well that I used Lancashire cider in the sauce and homegrown rhubarb, in the filming this was fresh from the garden but when I remade this recipe for the blog post, it was from the freezer. The cider is from Doves Sykes an artisan cider producer from the Ribble Valley - Ribble Valley Gold is produced in small quantities and is a still dry cider ideal for drinking or cooking with.

I have no idea as to whether the slot I filmed will be used on the show, today is Lancashire Day so I thought I'd post the recipe to celebrate the day.

Update: the clip was used on Paul Hollywoods Pies and Puds on 27th November 2013 its currently avaliable on iplayer but Mr Lancashire Food has also made a copy of Youtube which you can find here 

I got a "nice one Linzi" from Mr Hollywood himself so he must have liked the recipe, why not try it for yourself.

What you need

• Black pudding
• Rhubarb (fresh or frozen)
• Onion
• Cider (medium to dry)
• Salt and Pepper
• Nutmeg
• Filo pastry (shop bought fresh rather than frozen)
• Vegetable oil

What you do 

• First pre heat the oven to 160C
• Fry off the black pudding until a little crispy

• Remove from the pan and set to one side
• Now cook of the finely chopped onions until slightly soft, now add the rhubarb and cider (in my case a lovely local one)
• Simmer until soft and the moisture has been driven off

• Allow to cool before filling your parcels

• Spoon your filling onto a single sheet of filo, folded in half and create your parcels

• Place on a baking tray brushed with a little oil and cook until golden brown

• Serve hot or cold either on its own or with a sweet chilli sauce if wanted

Detail: Black pudding and rhubarb parcels as featured on Paul Hollywoods Pies and Puds

0 Pork tenderloin with cider and caramalised apple sauce for #Boothscheers

Shh ! I have secret , I'm not really a fan of pork unless its in the form of  bacon, sausage, ham or gammon, this cut of pork however is my favourite if we are talking roasts, its also very quick to cook which in my book is always a bonus. Pork tenderloin or pork fillet is a very tender part of Mr Piggy and therefore doesn't take long to cook, here I am serving it with the traditional accompaniment of apples and cider which makes for a great quick roast dinner or supper, ideal for serving for that after work dinner if you have friends round.

The cider used in this recipe is one of the selection from #Boothscheers for their Beer and cider festival

Ingredients

• Trimmed pork tenderloin
• Fresh rosemary, picked and chopped
• 2 apples (ideally english if in season), skins on and chopped chunky
• Garlic cloves 2 or 3 peeled , sliced finely if using
• 2 tbsp creme fraiche or double cream
• Demerara sugar 
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
• Cider about 150ml 
• salt and pepper
• Oil - about 1tbsp or small knob of butter
• cider or wine vinegar about 1 tbsp
• Fresh thyme, picked and chopped

Method

• Preheat your oven to 210C fan, 230c non fan
• Place the oil, cider vinegar in a bowl to mix, toss the apples and onions in the mix and place in your baking dish
• Now if using the garlic make slits all over your fillet and squish in the slithers of garlic, gently toss in the oil and vinegar mixture
• Now sprinkle the onion and apple with a little sugar and the herbs , sprinkle the herbs also on the pork, season the whole dish with salt and pepper
• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the pork is cooked and apples and onions have softened and started to caramalise.
• Remove from the oven and put the pork and apples in a seperate dish, keep warm.Bring the the roasting juices and cider to the bowl in the roasting pan, bring to the boil and reduce by half.
• Wrap the roasting dish in foil , turn off oven and place dish in oven to keep warm
• Once the sauce has reduced add the creme fraiche / cream
• Serve with your chosen vegetable and slice the pork diagonally, serve accompanied by some of the caramalised apples and onions and your delicious cider sauce.

Detail: Pork tenderloin with cider and caramalised apple sauce for #Boothscheers

0 Boothscheers beer and cider festival

Those lovely people at Booths (that wonderful Northern supermarket chain) are holding another #Boothscheers celebration as they are holding their first beer and cider festival. They have very kindly sent us a parcel of 2 lovely beers and 2 lovely ciders, one of the beers  has been specially brewed for the festival aptly called "Festival Ale" for us to sample and tweet about.

Stringers Delta V -a pale ale brewed in Ulverston Cumbria, Stringers is a microbrewery and is powered 100% by renewable energy and uses the lovely lakeland water in all its brews. A lovely flavoured brew and a great ale to use in our Ale and Spelt bread.

Festival Ale - limited edition ( our bottle is 2710 of 6400 bottles) specially brewed for Booths by Hawkshead Brewery to celebrate Booths 2013 Beer and cider festival. Try and get hold of a bottle and use the #BoothsAle to share your comments. Light refreshing and summery ideal with the summer BBQ.

Browns Medium dry cider - organic medium dry cider, pressed, fermented and bottled at Dunkertons cider mill in Herefordshire. Browns is a special type of cider apple , hence the name. We have used this cider in our Pork tenderloin and cider, caramalised apple sauce.

Orchard Pig Reveller - medium sparkling cider from Somerset, this one needs to be served chilled orginating from a brewery nr Glastonbury.

Detail: Boothscheers beer and cider festival

0 #Boothscheers - the beer and cider festival !

Detail: #Boothscheers - the beer and cider festival !

0 Apple Butter - windfalls for the store cupboard

In the garden the apple season is in full swing, our trees are old and knarled and are the remnants of a much larger orchard for a nearby ancient farmhouse. All the gardens in the local areas have fruit trees, mainly apple or perry pear, but the fields just down the lane also have crab apples and damsons as well.

Given that this year has been the wettest on record (interesting term that as records have only been kept for a few hundred years, I digress) the fruit harvest is very variable and many trees haven't fruited well , that combined with the trees being old, codling moth and fungal diseases means that the fruit is mostly ignored locally.

I like to embrace this harvest and every year when we have fruit in the garden, we make cider (variable quality), chutney, sauce, apple butter and freeze large quantities for pies and crumbles in the winter. We are also lucky that the fallen fruit particularly in cold winters attracts flocks of redwings and fieldfares into the garden to feast on the slowly rotting piles of apples and pears.

This apple butter recipe is based on a Women's Institute recipe and one from River Cottage preserves, its a easy preserve to make and is delicious on toasted crumpets or as a filling for cakes. The proportion of sugar is lower than a jam so its keeping qualities aren't quite as good as jam and it must be stored in a cool place and eaten promptly once opened. Its smells heavenly when cooking as the spices give it a deliciously aromatic scent, which when combined the cider notes is wonderful.

Ingredients

• About 1.5kg apples, cut up into chunks , only discard really manky bits !
• Sugar - Granulated about 800g
• 600ml Cider ( local if you can get it )
• 600ml Water
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves ( you can use other spices it up to you)
• Lots of recycled jars - sterilised (small one's are better so you can eat it all quickly once open)

Method

• Place your cut up apples, cider and water in a very large pan
• Bring to boil and simmer until all the fruit is soft and pulpy
• Pass through a mouli or rub through a sieve to remove the cores, pips and skins
• Add the strained pulp back to your cleaned pan, adding approx 350g sugar for each 600ml of pulp
• Add the spices (whichever you are using)
• Stir and heat slowly to dissolve the sugar
• Once the sugar has dissolved bring to a good rolling boil until the mixture is reduced and spluttering and creamy in texture
• Pot immediately into your warmed sterilised jars
• Cool and then store in cool location until use

National Apple Day was started by Common Ground

 This is also an entry for A little bit of Heaven on a plates Homemade and Well Preserved challenge 

STOP PRESS - I won best in show, amazed and such a lovely lovely prize a signed preserves book from Vivien Lloyd expert chutney and preserves maker and also a WI Judge

Detail: Apple Butter - windfalls for the store cupboard