Cauliflower Cheese Soup with Parmesan Wafers

This is the second cauliflower cheese soup recipe on my blog. To be truthful I only made the soup so that I could eat the Parmesan wafers and they are so easy to make, you will never look back. My other recipe was by Jamie Oliver and if you look at my previous posting you will see why his soup is so delicious.

The recipe comes from Woman&Home Dinner Tonight and is a really good quarterly magazine for recipe ideas, unfortunately I haven't seen it on the magazine racks in the shops recently.

The weather seems to be a little crazy, sun, wind, rain and hailstones, so perhaps I can be forgiven for posting yet another cauliflower cheese soup recipe.

Serves: 4

You will need: 25g butter, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped leek (reserve some of the green part to garnish), 1 chopped cauliflower, 700ml vegetable stock, 600ml milk, 75g grated Cheddar cheese

1. Add the butter to a pan and melt, add the chopped leek and onion. Cover with a lid and cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes until soft.
2. Add the cauliflower, stock and milk. Bring to the boil and simmer for 35 minutes, covered until the cauliflower is tender. Season.
3. Cool the soup and pour into a food processor or liquidizer and blitz until smooth.
4. Add the Cheddar cheese, reheat, pour into bowls and garnish with chopped green leek.

Parmesan Wafers

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Sprinkle heaped tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan in little piles on top and bake for 5 minutes at 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6 until melted. Lift off the paper and cool.

CRUMBLE BERRY MUFFINS

This recipe came from Feel Good Food by Woman & Home - the magazine is published quarterly and is an excellent source of inspirational recipes, ideas, styling and information.

Unfortunately, in the photograph you can't see any evidence of the berries because the muffins are scattered with a pecan crumble topping, well that's my excuse anyway! Perhaps it would have been a good idea to coat the berries in a little flour and then gently poke them into the mixture in the muffin cases.

WOMAN & HOME FEEL GOOD FOOD

AUTUMN 2008

Makes: 8

You will need: 175g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 50g fruit sugar, 100g melted butter, 2 free range eggs, 75ml skimmed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 100g mixed berries.

For the topping: 15g unsalted butter cut into cubes, 25g plain flour, 1tsp fruit sugar, 20g pecans roughly chopped.

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/325°F/Gas 3.
2. Make the topping by rubbing the butter into the flour and then stir in the sugar. Put to one side.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the sugar. Mix together the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the flour, add the berries and stir to combine - be careful not to over mix.
4. Divide the mixture between the cakes cases in a muffin tin. Top each with a little of the crumble mixture, then the pecans.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

DELICIOUS!

BLACKBERRY AND APPLE CRUMBLE TART

Blackberries from the hedgerows and Bramley apples kindly given to me were the stars of this tart.
Instead of making the usual blackberry and apple crumble I decided upon this recipe from the Woman&Home website.
If you haven't yet discovered their food section you are in for a nice surprise, all of the recipes I've tried are delicious.
You start this tart by making a shortcrust pastry base. A sweet shortcrust is suggested in the recipe, but I made a plain one because the crumble is quite sweet.
The apples and blackberries are cooked until a thick compote is achieved. This is then put onto the cooked pastry base and topped with crumble that has been scented with cinnamon.
Now, I have to confess, this tart was heaven.

Serves: 8 to 10 people.

You will need: A 26cm flan tin with a removable base.

For the pastry case: 200g plain flour, 50g butter, 50g lard, 3 tablespoons of cold water.

For the filling: 800g (about 3 large) Bramley apples, 300g blackberries (fresh or frozen), 50g caster sugar.

For the crumble topping: 150g plain flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 100g butter - chilled, 75g caster sugar.

To serve: clotted or softly whipped cream.

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°CFan/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
2. Roll out the pastry and use to line the flan tin. Chill for 30 minutes.
3. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 15 minutes until pale golden. Remove the beans, then return the tart to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes to dry the base.
4. Remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 180°C/160°CFan/350°F/Gas 4.
5. For the filling, peel, core and slice the apples. Place in a saucepan with the blackberries and sugar. Cook over a moderate heat until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently to prevent the apples from sticking.
6. To make the crumble topping, sift the flour and ground cinnamon into a bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour. Stir in the caster sugar.
7. To assemble the tart, place the apple and blackberry filling in the pre-baked pastry case, spreading the mixture out evenly.
8. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top, but do not press down. Place the tart back in the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving with a generous dollop of clotted or softly whipped fresh cream.

STICKY TOFFEE AND BANANA PUDDING

Woman&Home magazine have just brought out the Autumn 2007 Feel Good Food supplement and it's bursting with wonderful recipes, of which this is one.
Most pudding lovers enjoy sticky toffee pudding. The unusual ingredient in this particular recipe is the addition of chopped banana to the cake batter mix.
The bananas may be good for you, but I'm not sure about the rest of the pudding!
Unlike sticky toffee pudding, this has its own topping of golden syrup that has been poured into the base of the ramekins and then the cake batter mix is added.
When you put your spoon into the cooked pudding you come across the chopped banana pieces.
The custard recipe asked for 45g of caster sugar to a liquid measurement of 175ml. I knew this would be tooth achingly sweet and so I reduced the caster sugar to 20g, but this is obviously one of taste. The custard was chilled before serving with the pudding. Oh, and don't forget to serve the pudding with some sliced banana.
I think this pudding will be a favourite now, but will only make it to the table a couple of times a year. The reason - per serving it's nearly 600cals.


WOMAN&HOME - FEEL GOOD FOOD - AUTUMN 2007

Serves: 4 people

50g butter - softened, 35g caster sugar, 75g dark brown sugar, 1 egg, 100g bananas - chopped, 125g self-raising flour - sieved, 150g golden syrup (this is about one good tablespoon of golden syrup per ramekin).

You will need: 4 x ramekin dishes, greased, with a greaseproof paper disc placed at the bottom of each one.

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C /130°F Fan, Gas 2.
2. Mix together the softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Add the bananas and flour and mix again.
3. Pour the golden syrup into the ramekins, then add the pudding mixture until each ramekin is two-thirds full. Cook in the oven for 40 minutes. If they aren't quite ready cover with foil and cook for a further 5 minutes or so.

For the custard: (slightly adapted)

175ml milk, ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 egg yolks and 20g caster sugar.

1. Gently heat the milk in a pan. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks, vanilla extract and sugar together by hand in a bowl. Once the milk has boiled, pour half onto the yolks and whisk again. Place the pan of milk back onto the hob, on a low heat. Add the egg mixture, stirring continuously.
2. The mixture will thicken as the eggs cook. To test, run your finger down the wooden spoon - if it leaves a clean line it is ready.
3. Remove from the heat, allow to cool, then chill in the fridge.

To serve: Turn out the puddings from the ramekins, dust them with icing sugar and serve with the sauce and a few slices of banana.

SALMON WITH CRUSHED NEW POTATOES, ROCKET AND LIME PESTO

Another recipe from Woman&Home Feel Good Food Magazine, this time from the Summer 2007 issue.
There are sections on food know-how, celebrity chefs' recipes, outdoor eating, summer detox, starters and soups, fish and seafood, salads and vegetables, meat and poultry plus a section on desserts.
The recipe I chose to cook came under the summer detox section and not only tasted good but looked amazing. The rocket and lime pesto was very light and fresh.
I made this last Friday during the torrential downpours. My son was coming home to visit for the weekend and had an horrendous journey, like thousands of other commuters. He didn't arrive here until 10.30 p.m. This dinner cheered him up and he savoured every mouthful!

Serves: 4 people

750g new potatoes, 1 small red onion, finely chopped, 2 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced, 1 small yellow pepper, finely chopped, 3tbsp chopped fresh chervil, 2 tbsp olive oil, 4 thick salmon fillets, weighing about 125g each.

FOR THE PESTO: 50g wild rocket, 50g pine nuts, 1 garlic clove, crushed, juice 1 lime, 6tbsp cold pressed olive oil.

1. Make the pesto by placing all the ingredients in a blender and whizzing to a thick puree. Put in the fridge to chill.
2. Place the potatoes in a large pan of cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until tender. Drain and crush gently with the back of a fork. Combine the onion, tomatoes, pepper, chervil and olive oil and divide among four plates.
3. Preheat a large, non-stick frying pan and add the salmon, skin side down. Season and cook over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Place a salmon fillet on top of the potatoes, drizzle with the pesto and serve.

TOMATO, BASIL AND TALEGGIO TART

A while back, whilst in the newsagents, I was looking at all the foodie magazines and I came across a new quarterly food magazine by the people at Woman&Home.
The first thing I loved was the front cover, a beautiful Mango parfait topped with blueberries. Flicking through the pages the recipes come under evocative headings such as calming foods, de-stressing foods, vitality foods, radiance foods, energising foods, mood foods and relaxing foods.
There are recipes by Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Nigella Lawson, James Martin and Nigel Slater, Alastair Hendy and others.
A section of the magazine is also devoted to Books for Cooks where a short review is given on current cookery books.
The recipe I have chosen to cook from this magazine is very simple, took a short time to prepare and looked and tasted wonderful.


This recipe will serve 4 people or in our case, it only served the two of us!

You will need:
375g packet ready-rolled puff pastry, 1 bunch basil, leaves only, plus extra to garnish, 300g baby tomatoes on the vine, 250g cubed Taleggio cheese, 1 tablespoon milk.

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC, fan 200ºC, 425ºF, Gas 7. Place the pastry on a large flat baking sheet and score a rim along the sides of the rectangle, 2.5cm in from the edge.
2. Scatter the basil over the pastry and place the tomatoes on top without removing the vines. Season well with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Scatter over the cheese and brush the outside rim of the pastry with milk. Bake for 20 minutes until golden and risen. Scatter over some more fresh basil before serving.

ROASTED STONE FRUITS AND CARDAMOM WITH HONEY AND VANILLA CREAM

Another recipe from Woman&Home Feel Good Food - Spring 2007 magazine. The photography and food styling really caught my eye and there are some wonderful recipe titles such as Banoffee bliss, Feeling peachy and Tropical meltdown. I want to make them all!
For now, I chose the above recipe which I have adapted slightly, purely on the basis I didn't have all the required ingredients. The raspberries were out of my garden and so they took centre stage.

Serves: 6-8

For the syrup: 200ml water, 125g caster sugar, 10 cardamom pods, crushed.

12 to 16 ripe stone fruits, peaches, plums or nectarines.
35g butter, cubed, 6 tablespoons of clear honey.

For the vanilla cream: 200ml double cream, 2 tablespoons caster sugar, 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out, 200ml full-fat yogurt.

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, fan 160ºC, 350F/Gas 4. Put all the syrup ingredients into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Leave the mixture to cool, then strain through a sieve.
2. Halve the fruits and remove the stones. Place on a baking sheet and put a cube of butter on top of each half. Drizzle over the honey. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until they are soft and slightly browned.
3. While the fruit is cooking and the syrup is on the stove, make the vanilla cream. Mix together the cream, caster sugar and vanilla, and beat until thick. Stir in the yogurt and leave the mixture in the fridge until required.
4. When the fruit is ready, remove from the oven to a serving dish. Pour over the syrup and serve warm with the vanilla cream.

My substitutions to the above: I didn't have any double cream and instead used thick Greek yogurt mixed with full-fat yogurt. I couldn't find my vanilla pod and so I used a smidgen of Vanilla Works vanilla paste. Also, I didn't have any plums to cook alongside the peaches and so I decided to use some of my raspberries for decoration. Well, that's what cookings all about sometimes, if you haven't got it improvise!