Baked eggs with bacon bits

This is one of our favourite breakfasts - first seen (by me) on the lovely Rachel Khoo's Little Paris Kitchen however I always cook some lardons so they are nice and crispy and use them instead of the fish roe which she uses (not sure about that first thing in the morning...) She calls them 'oeufs en cocotte' which is obviously the french name for them but the good thing about this is you can add anything. I have seen quite a few variations of this done with different cheeses, ham, spring onions, mushrooms and other ingredients so you could just stick in anything you fancy which you have knocking about in the fridge. You don't have to cook these in tea cups I just think it looks cute and they are the perfect size for individual portions but ramekins are also fine. These are really easy to make and are very tasty - the perfect alternative to a full english and once you've made them once I can assure you they will become a breakfast favourite!

Ingredients
(for 2)
180g bacon lardons or pancetta
2 large eggs
Small pot crème fraîche
Salt & pepper
Fresh chopped parsley
Fresh crusty bread

First preheat your oven to 170°C.

Fry off your lardons until they are golden and crispy then transfer to some kitchen roll to absorb the excess fat.

In your teacups or ramekins put 2 tbsp crème fraîche in each then a twist of salt and pepper and sprinkle some of the lardons on top. Add another tablespoon of crème fraîche, then a few more lardons and then crack your egg on top of that. Add yet another spoon of crème fraîche, a few more lardons and a twist of salt and pepper, so you are layering up the ingredients.

Place in a bain-marie so the eggs cook more evenly and put in the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes. The eggs should be set on top but still have a runny yoke. sprinkle on the chopped parsley and eat with fresh crusty bread. Delightful.

Sunflower seed and honey bread for a sunny Sunday

I've had some sunflower seeds in the cupboard for a few weeks now. I bought them with the intention of making some kind of bread and I have finally got around to it this weekend although never having made such a bread I had to do a little research first as I was worried the seeds might burn if I put them on the top. I came across a recipe for a sunflower seed bread using honey in the recipe which used a combination of white bread flour and wholemeal flour but for my own adaptation I used only white as I was all out of wholemeal. That's the beauty though as you'll just get a slightly different bread, perhaps a little less nutty. We have just been eating this by itself with butter so far and it is really nice and sweet and nutty but it would be nice with some homemade soup or a stew or even some cheese and pickle.

Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour

7g packet fast action yeast

300ml luke warm water

2 tbsp olive oil

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp runny honey

Handful sunflower seeds

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl (I used an electric mixer for this recipe as this dough gets pretty sticky) then add the yeast and salt and mix. Add the water slowly then the olive oil and mix with the dough hook fitting for about 3 minutes. 

Turn off the mixer then squash a well into the dough and add the honey. Try to fold the dough in over the honey then turn the mixer on again for about another 3-4 minutes. Cover with cling film and a tea towel and leave to prove for an hour.

On a floured work surface knock back the dough (just by pushing out all the air) then shape into a kind of fat sausage, roll in the sunflower seeds and put into an oiled loaf tin.

Leave to prove again for about 30-45 minutes or until it has risen and springs back when poked. About 20 minutes before it is ready preheat the oven to 220°C.

Sprinkle with flour and bake for about 30 minutes then leave to cool for a couple of minutes before taking out of the tin and allowing to cool on a cooling rack. Pretty easy to make and really tasty!

Banana bread

I haven't posted for a while as I've had a bit of a crisis thanks to my adorable little monster Bruce the Whippet. I must have left the room for all of 5 minutes and when I came back I find that he has almost chewed right through my laptop power cable! ...luckily it was not plugged in though. So that was completely useless after that leaving me with a mere 30% battery! The replacement cable arrived today but I have been totally lost without my computer all week. I actually made this banana bread at the weekend, with the intention of posting it on Monday but due to unforseen dog induced circumstances here it is now.

I absolutely love banana bread and it is by far the thing that I make the most in our house. A staple. We eat it by itself or with jam or chocolate spread or toasted with butter (how the Ozzies eat it I discovered when I took a trip the other year), for breakfast or a snack. Never underappreciated. It is so easy to make and is a proper comfort food.

Ingredients
(makes 1 loaf)

250g self raising flour
150g golden caster sugar
100g butter melted and cooled
2 eggs, beaten

3 ripe bananas (I always say the trick is if your fingers go through the skin they have been left too long, you want them to be speckled brown and yellow)

100g chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat your oven to 180°C (or 350°F/gas 4) and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper and butter (you can buy these ready sized so I just get those for ease - you don't even need to grease it with butter).

Melt the butter in a sauce pan then leave to cool for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and sugar then add the melted and cooled butter, the beaten eggs and the vanilla extract.

Roughly mash the bananas with a fork, not too much though there should be lumpy bits and mix in with the rest of the mixture. Add the chopped walnuts and stir until combined.

Transfer to the prepared tin and spread out evenly then bake for 50 minutes (I check after 45 and if a skewer comes out clean it is ready, if not return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes).

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. If you try to cut it before it is cool it may just all crumble. I always think banana bread gets better each day as the flavour gets more banana-ey and the cake gets moister. Lovely.

The sauce pan is mightier than the sword!

Caribbean jerk chicken, rice and beans

We were in the mood for some Caribbean food last night - something spicy and comforting that we could have with a few beers - and I found this Jamie Oliver recipe in his 30 minute meals book, though to be honest I have found the '30 minute' aspect of this statement to be somewhat of a myth. I have made a few things from this book and even when I don't cook the full meal (like here I only did the chicken and rice and skipped the corn on the cob and salad) I have never managed to complete it in anywhere near 30 minutes - more like 60 Oliver! Its not important as I didn't have a time deadline and I like chilling and having a drink whilst cooking but I do think you need to be chef trained to manage the task in that time. This recipe is pretty easy to make and is a nice alternative to getting a Saturday night takeaway - for one its healthier, 2 it doesn't break the bank and 3 it tastes so much better! A perfect Beggar's Banquet!

Again this recipe is slightly different than the original as some ingredients I didn't have in (or forgot to buy from the shop) and also I don't have a food processor so I just sliced everything finely but it tasted just as good. I use recipes more as guidelines rather than strict instructions.

Ingredients
(for 2)
2 large chicken breasts
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
4 spring onions, finely sliced
Pinch dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch all spice
6 tbsp spiced rum (I used Bacardi Oakheart)
6 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp runny honey
1 red chilli, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced

For the rice and beans:
150g long grain rice, washed
3 spring onions, sliced
pinch cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
500ml chicken stock
1 x 400g tin black beans

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C then prepare the chicken by cutting the breast most of the way down the middle but leaving joined so it flattens the breasts out. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then rub in. Put a little more olive oil in a hot cast iron pan and add the chicken.

To make the jerk sauce mix together the chopped spring onions and chilli with the rum, white wine vinegar, garlic, all spice, nutmeg, thyme, a splash of olive oil and 1 tbsp honey.

When the chicken is golden turn to crisp up the other side.

For the rice, in a large lidded pan add a splash of olive oil and gently fry the spring onions. Add the cinnamon and cook for a few minutes. Now add the rice and chicken stock and stir. Drain the black beans and stir in to the pot then add the lid and leave to cook for 15 minutes.

By now the chicken should be ready to cook in the oven. Take it off the heat and cover with the jerk sauce - try to rub in and get it underneath the chicken as well as on the top then drizzle oven another tablespoon of runny honey and stick in the bay leaves. Put it in the oven for 15 minutes but keep basting with the sauce every so often. The chicken will be really nice and sticky and golden brown.

Remove the lid from the rice and continue to cook for a little longer if it is still too wet then serve straight to the table (let people help themselves) with some nice cold beers. Perfect Saturday night in.

Rhubarb and custard cake

I've been growing some rhubarb myself and its looking pretty good but unfortunately its still too young to eat it (I'm not going to give in to temptation though as apparently if you are patient with them when they are young they can last for 20 years!) It has got me in the mood to bake with some though so when I was out I bought a bunch of stalks. There are so many amazing rhubarb recipes I have come across and want to try out - think my next attempt may be a rhubarb and custard pie with meringue topping - but for this occasion I went with a cake as I thought it would be easier to transport on the train on a visit to the Mother's.

I added the flaked almonds just because we had some in the cupboard and rhubarb and almond goes really well together (in my humble opinion) but the original recipe doesn't list them. I'm just a bit of a maverick.

Ingredients
400g rhubarb, washed, ends trimmed, and cut into finger sized pieces
250g butter, softened
1 tin custard (I used Ambrosia)
250g self raising flour
250g golden caster sugar (plus another 50g for roasting the rhubarb)
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Handful of flaked almonds (if you too are a maverick)
Icing sugar to dust

First to roast the rhubarb. Spread the rhubarb pieces onto a baking tray then sprinkle with the 50g caster sugar and shake a little to coat. Roast at 200°C, covered with foil,  for 15 minutes then remove the foil, shake and return to the oven for another 5 minutes until tender and syrupy. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Turn the oven to 180°C and butter and line a 23cm tin.

Mix together about 2 thirds of the tin of custard with the butter, flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth. Transfer about a third to the prepared tin then add some of the rhubarb. Add half of the remaining cake mixture on top then more rhubarb and the rest of the cake mix. Level out with a spatula then dollop the remaining custard and a bit of the rhubarb on top and swirl round. 

Sprinkle the almonds on top then put in the oven for 40 minutes until risen and golden then cover with foil and return to the oven for another 15 minutes. A skewer should come out clean when inserted.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool sift icing sugar over the top.

This cake is pretty good by itself or with custard as a kind of pudding/dessert-type scenario.

Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich with a Fresh Twist!

I saw a photograph of this dish on Pinterest during the week and was instantly intrigued to know more - the photograph led me to a recipe on the blog Love and Lemons where they combined the classic Shrimp Po Boy Sandwich with a spicy mango mayo. Sold.

The Po Boy Sandwich, abbreviated from 'Poor Boy' originates from the Deep South, Louisiana to be precise and is so called because these sandwiches were made for the strikers of a streetcar company in New Orleans who were nicknamed the 'poor boys', or so says the internet. The shrimps are battered in a spicy breadcrumb mix then fried and served on some nice crusty french bread with salad. This recipe is actually really easy to make and is one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten. I highly recommend you try it yourself!

Ingredients
(for 2)
225g king prawns, deveined
French stick
Small mango (for mayo and sliced)
Lettuce
Cucumber
Chopped chives

For the mango mayo:
2 tbsp mayonaise
2 tbsp mango chopped into small chunks and squished a little
Squeeze of lemon
Cayenne pepper
Salt & pepper

For the batter:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic flakes or powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cornflour
oil for frying

First make the spicy mango mayo then leave in the fridge to chill - simply mix everything together then taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

In a small bowl mix together all the spices, the breadcrumbs and the cornflour.

In another bowl mix together the beaten egg and milk.

Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan. Now dip the king prawns into the egg and milk mixture first then toss into the breadcrumb mixture. Do this with all the king prawns. Fry the battered prawns for about a minute on each size until they are nice and golden and crispy.

To assemble the sandwich; spread the mayo on the cut French stick (we went for about 8 inches!) then layer the lettuce, cucumber and some sliced mango, then the battered prawns, a little more mayo, some chopped chives and a sprinkling of paprika. Now that is a sandwich.