Mini Strawberry Victoria Sponges

I like mini pies, mini muffins, mini cakes, they always look so dainty, and from an era when ladies 'floated' into a restaurant or tea room to eat dainty mini morsels.

Afternoon tea has definitely made a come back and close to where I live there is a cafe that has taken  inspiration from the Lyons Tea Houses.  A while back hubby and I chose a beautiful sunny afternoon to visit a local hotel for afternoon tea and sat in the grounds with champagne in one hand and worked our way through finger sandwiches and cakes with the other.  We've enjoyed a few afternoon teas in various locations and it is a very relaxed and enjoyable way to spend a lazy afternoon.

The strawberries are from my garden and they taste sensational. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the name of the variety......I think they may possibly be Cambridge.

The recipe for the Mini Strawberry Victoria Sponges is on the Lakeland website.

My pretty polka dot plate is from the Bon Bon Collection by Sabichi, they kindly asked if I would review part of the collection a while back, and I love them. The mini sandwich tin is from Lakeland -  Chicago Metallic also sell a similar pan and this is available from Amazon.

Chocolate and Raspberry Tiramisu

Chocolate and Raspberry Tiramisu

Chocolate, coffee, raspberries, Amaretto liqueur and mascarpone are some of the fabulous ingredients used in this Tiramisu.  Unfortunately, I didn't have a lovely dish for my Tiramisu, it would have looked so much better but obviously wouldn't have tasted any different.

Some versions of Tiramisu aren't very exciting, and whilst this isn't authentic, it is a lightweight and zingy version. I prefer this dessert with fruit, it definitely adds another dimension, some may be horrified, but this is a winner and my hubby was more than delighted.

What's different about this Tiramisu?  After the base layer of coffee and Amaretto soaked sponge fingers, it has a layer of crushed raspberries and then a layer of mascarpone lightened with egg yolks, then whipped egg whites are folded into the mascarpone mix.  Another layer of soaked sponge fingers, topped with the remaining mascarpone mix and a dusting of cocoa powder.  Leave to set overnight.  Top with more crushed raspberries, a scattering of raspberries, and curls of white and dark chocolate. The recipe is from Woman and Home Feel Good Food Magazine Spring 2011.

This months challenge is Coffee and is hosted by Chocolate Log Blog and guest host this month is Lucy of The Kitchen Maid - We Should Cocoa - June 2012

Tea Time Treats this month is Summer Fruits and is hosted by Karen of Lavender and Lovage and this month the host is Kate from What Kate Baked

Smoked Salmon, Dill and Goats Cheese Quiche

Smoked Salmon, Dill and Goats Cheese Quiche

This recipe comes from Simply Recipes.  Their site started way back in 2003 and was  highlighted as one of the 50 Best Food Blogs (February, 2009) Times Online. 

I was really pleased when way back in 2008 they chose my Valentine's Day Pavlova as part of a bloggers recipe roundup to celebrate all things 'romantic'. http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/valentines_day_recipes/

This is a fabulous quiche, and I am a huge quiche fan.  You could say it's a posh quiche, but because smoked salmon always seems to be on offer these days, you don't need a special event to buy a pack.  I think the goats cheese took on a life all of its own - I am sure I scattered it over the filling better than that!

It is good enough for an indoor picnic, well lets face it, with the monsoon season in full swing, we are hardly likely to be planning the next outdoor picnic.

The quiche cuts well.

I always use Delia's method to line and bake a quiche, it produces a crisp light pastry crust and I have never found anything else to beat it.  Also, the pastry doesn't become the main event but allows the filling to be the star.

Fruit and Nut Granola

I am always trying muesli and granola recipes, mainly because I've got a cupboard full of various oats, and so I tend to adapt recipes to use them up.

This recipe is by John Torode and unusually it uses pine nuts in the mix, I have adapted the recipe by adding some dried sour cherries and barley flakes, I didn't have any maple syrup and so used all honey.

I added some large chunks of 70% dark chocolate, this idea came from a box of granola with added chocolate chunks and it was very, very delicious. My chunks of chocolate would have been better if they had been cut smaller, it is a wonder though any chocolate made it to the mix. Buy decent chocolate otherwise I think it would be best to forget the chocolate....

This granola is so good and tempting it seemed a shame to only eat this at breakfast, it was very easy to eat from the jar! Not so great though if you are dieting....

The recipe can be found here on the BBC GoodFood website.

Diamond Jubilee Strawberry Crumble Crunch

The recipe for the  Heston Blumenthal Diamond Jubilee Strawberry Crumble Crunch can be found on the Waitrose website or you can watch the recipe video.

My recommendation is to make this in individual pots, because it looked a bit messy on the plate when I served it up.

Enjoy the holiday - back soon!

Recipe: Jubilee Queen of Puddings

Queen of Puddings is a British Classic, and to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee the pudding was adapted.  Cherries Jubilee was invented for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. I decided to take this idea, and spread a layer of Cherries Jubilee on the pudding base.  I only hope the Queen doesn't mind that I messed about with a classic pudding, otherwise it could be the Tower for me.....

This pudding never looks the prettiest when served up, but a tip is to serve the pudding when it is lukewarm, this way the custard base has a chance to set again. For presentation, individual puddings win every time. No piped meringue, simply dollop the whisked egg whites into the centre, spread out towards the edges of the dish and swirl with a spoon. 

Serves:  4-6

For the pudding:

90g fresh breadcrumbs, 2 tbs soft brown sugar, 450ml whole milk, 1 lemon(zest only), 1 tbs caster sugar, 25g salted butter, 3 large eggs(yolks only, the whites will be used for the meringue)

For the topping:

350g jar pitted cherries ( I buy mine from Lidl), 2 tbs sugar free cherry jam, 1 tsp brandy, McDougalls Thickening Granules. 3 large egg whites, 75g caster sugar

1. Preheat the grill to medium setting.  Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and brown sugar onto a roasting tray and mix together.  Grill the breadcrumb mix until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted.  Put on one side to cool.
2. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.
3. Heat the milk, lemon zest, sugar and butter together in a pan over a medium heat. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is combined.  Stir the toasted breadcrumbs and caster sugar into the milk mixture.  Put to one side to cool for 30 minutes.
4. After the breadcrumb mixture has cooled for 30 minutes, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until pale and fluffy, add them to the milk and breadcrumb mixture and whisk until combined.
5. Pour the pudding mixture into a 20cm ovenproof serving dish and bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until the pudding has risen and set.
6. Drain the cherries(reserve the juice), add to a small saucepan, stir in the cherry jam and two tablespoons of the reserved syrup.  Heat gently until the jam has melted, add a teaspoon of thickening granules and stir until thickened, add the brandy. Cool slightly. Spread over the pudding layer.
7. Whisk the egg whites until the soft peak stage, add the sugar a little at a time whilst still whisking.  Continue to whisk until the mixture is glossy and stiff peaks form.
8. Spoon the meringue over the pudding and return to the oven for 40 minutes until the meringue is golden brown.