Tag: recipe

Delicious Potato Gratin Recipe

Potato gratin is a perfectly creamy and delectable way to spruce up your average potato. It’s also much easier than you think and is bound to become a new favourite in your household.

Servings: Family of 4-6 people

Time: 20 minutes prep and 45 minutes cooking

You will need:

  • Large saucepan
  • Ladle
  • Ovenproof dish

Ingredients:

  • 500ml double cream
  • 500ml milk
  • 8 large potatoes
  • 100g grated cheese
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat

    Pre-heat the oven to 190c/fan 170c/gas mark 5

  2. Peel potatoes

    Peel and thinly slice potatoes with a mandolin or sharp knife. Set aside once finished.

  3. Add other ingredients

    Combine 500ml of double cream and 500ml of milk into a large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper and heat on low until the mixture reaches a low simmer.

  4. Layer potatoes

    In an ovenproof dish, spread a layer of potatoes. Ladle over a portion of your cream mixture and sprinkle with a handful of cheese.

  5. Repeat

    Repeat for the second and third layer until you run out of mixture.

  6. Bake

    Scatter your remaining cheese on top and bake for 45 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and potatoes are nice and browned.

Tips

  • What can you add to this recipe?

Growing your own potatoes was the hard part, if you want to add a little flair to your food try infusing your cream and milk mixture with cloves of garlic and fresh herbs. Just add them to the mixture and discard once they’ve reached a simmer. This will bring a completely new flavour to your dish and show the versatility of homegrown herbs.

  • How long can you store this dish?

Portion and store potato gratin leftovers in a sealed container which can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively, you can also store them in the dish they were baked in but ensure to cover tightly with aluminium foil. Heat through thoroughly in the oven before eating.

Check out some of our other blogs:

Tasty pancake toppings for pancake day

Pancake Day is the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. It is also traditionally the day for eating lots and lots of pancakes! Here are some of our top 10 favourite sweet pancake toppings to avoid flops on Shrove Tuesday.

Pancake toppings

Check out these traditional and tasty pancake topping ideas.

  • Classic lemon and Sugar
  • Fresh Strawberries and Nutella
  • Chocolate, peanut butter & banana
  • Salted caramel sauce
  • Maple syrup with pear
  • Chocolate sauce and cherries
  • Lemon curd & blueberries
  • Peaches and cream
  • Banana, honey & walnut
  • Cinnamon and poached apples

Pancake day tips

Here are some of our top tips for throwing the best pancake day possible.

  1. Make the pancakes in advance

If you have little ones, prep your pancakes, otherwise you feel like a sous chef with your family demanding their next pancake. Pop the made pancakes onto a plate, cover with foil and keep or re-heat over a pan of simmering water. That way you can all sit at the table together and enjoy your fair share along with the family.

2. Leftovers

If you make a few pancakes too many, don’t worry, you can always freeze any spares and take them out when you fancy. Pancakes will keep in a freezer for up to 3 months!

Check out some of our delicious recipes:

Comforting Winter Vegetable Soup

When it’s cold outside, you can’t get much better than a nice, hot bowl of soup to keep you warm. This versatile vegetable soup is the perfect winter time meal, and it’s so easy to make that you can quickly whip up a batch on a weekday for the whole family.

Servings: 6

Time: 30 minutes

You will need:

  • 1 frying pan
  • 1 large pot
  • Blender (optional)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1x parsnip
  • 2x carrots
  • 6x potatoes
  • 2x spring onion
  • 1x celery stalk
  • 700ml vegetable stock
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • sprig of rosemary
  • Salt & pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

  1. Fry up the veg

    Chop and fry the vegetables and potatoes in a frying pan with the oil for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and go pale.

  2. Add flavour

    Once the vegetables have softened, add in garlic, ginger and season well.

  3. Simmer

    Transfer the veg into a large pot, cover with the stock and simmer for 10-15 mins until the veg is tender.

  4. Blend

    Blend until smooth (or don’t if you prefer a chunky soup), then season with rosemary and serve.

Tips

  • What can you add to this recipe?

You can make this vegetable soup your own by adding in different vegetables (e.g. cabbage or onions), fresh or dried herbs (basil, thyme, oregano) or add red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.

  • How long can you store soup?

Stick your soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator and it will keep for three to four days. 

Try out some of our other winter recipes:

Irresistible White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

After Christmas, it’s normal to have plenty of leftovers from all those lovely dinners and desserts. This recipe is perfect for those with a sweet tooth that might have some cranberries in the fridge leftover from homemade sauces. A particular win for those who love cranberries and white chocolate. Give it a whirl!

Servings: 12

Time: 35 minutes

You will need:

  • 1 small pan
  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 small mixing bowl
  • Electric mixer or whisk
  • Baking tray
  • Baking paper
  • Wooden spoon
  • Wire rack for cooling

Ingredients:

  • 135g unsalted butter
  • 1/2tsp of vanilla extract
  • 75g light brown soft sugar
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/4tsp ground ginger
  • 180g plain flour
  • 150g white chocolate drops or a chocolate bar cut into chunks
  • 75g dried cranberries

Instructions:

  • Step 1
    Gently heat the butter on the hob until melted and pour into your large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract, both sugars and the egg and mix until smooth.
  • Step 2
    In a separate bowl, add the flour, ginger, bicarbonate of soda and then slowly add the butter while mixing. Use an electric mix if too thick to stir by hand.
  • Step 3
    It’s now time to add the chocolate and cranberries. Put them into the same bowl as your cookie mixture and combine. Put in the fridge for two hours before baking.
  • Step 4
    Preheat the oven to 170C, fan 150C, gas mark 3. Once you’re cookie dough has come out of the fridge, prep two to three baking trays with baking paper and separate your dough into small balls by rolling them in your hands. Place on the trays evenly spaced apart.
  • Step 5
    Time to bake! Put the trays into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cookies have settled and become a nice golden colour. Keep them on the tray for 5 minutes when first taken out of the oven, then move onto the rack to cool down fully. Enjoy!

Baking Tip

  • Use Fresh Cranberries

Fresh cranberries are a lovely touch when baking these beauties. Although you can use normal dried cranberries from a packet, if you grow your own cranberries then this is the perfect recipe to try them out.

Liked this recipe? Try something different

Spiced Caramel & Pear Tart Recipe

Looking for the perfect autumnal recipe for your harvested pears? This delicious, spiced caramel and pear tart recipe is the perfect comfort food to keep you warm this autumn.

Servings: 10

Time: 1 1/2 hours

You will need:

  • 9-inch tart pan

For the base:

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (thawed)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the pears:

For the caramel:

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Generous pinch of sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Make the base

    Heat oven to 200°C. Brush 1 sheet of puff pastry dough with melted butter, then gently press into a 9-inch tart pan, letting ends extend over edges of pan. Fold in edges of dough, slightly pinching sides to form crust.

  2. Arrange the Pears

    Arrange pear slices in decorative circles on the prepared crust. Sprinkle top with sugar, spices and cubes of butter.
    Bake 45 minutes until crust is deep golden brown and pear topping is cooked. Remove from oven and transfer to cooling rack; leave oven on.

  3. Make the Caramel

    While your tart is baking, in small saucepan over medium heat, heat sugar until dissolved. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, carefully swirling pan, until sugar begins to caramelize and turn amber in colour. Remove from heat; stir in butter and salt until combined. Stir in heavy cream. Continue to cook sauce for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and smooth. Remove from heat.

  4. Decorate and serve

    Carefully and quickly brush top of tart with caramel sauce. Be sure to brush both crust and pear topping. Bake the tart for another 10 minutes until caramel is melted and just begins to bubble.
    Return tart to cooling rack. Let it cool before slicing.

Tips

  • When should you pick pears?

It’s best to pick pears when they are mature but not fully ripe and let them ripen in the home. Simply, cup the fruit in your hand, tilt horizontally, and it should come away easily. You can then leave them indoors at room temperature for a week to ripen.

  • How do I store fruit tarts?

This pear tart is best served the day it is made; cool or room temperature storage is fine that day, but be sure to refrigerate the leftovers.

Check out some of our other recipes:

No-Fuss Raspberry Coulis Cheesecake

Raspberry cheesecake

Its raspberry season, so what better time to make a deliciously decadent raspberry cheesecake? This rich and tasty no-bake cheesecake is incredibly easy to make, so it’s the perfect dessert to whip up on a weekday to impress the family without putting in loads of effort.

Servings: 10-12 servings

Time: 35 minutes (plus chill time)

You will need:

  • 8 inch (20 cm) springform cake pan
  • Electric whisk (optional)

For the base:

  • 150g digestive biscuits
  • 75 grams unsalted butter

For the filling:

  • 250g full fat cream cheese
  • 300ml double cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200g good quality white chocolate
  • 30 grams powdered sugar

For the coulis:

  • 300 grams fresh raspberries (we recommend Autumn Bliss or Tulameen).
  • 50 grams granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice & zest

Instructions:

  1. Make the coulis

    Combine most the raspberries (leave some for decoration later), sugar and lemon juice/zest in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture comes to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, while stirring, until it is thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.  Pour into a heatproof bowl and cool in the fridge.

  2. Make the base

    Crush the digestive biscuits into a fine crumb (it should look like sand). Melt the butter on a low heat on the hob until it becomes liquid. Take off the heat and stir in the crushed biscuits until combined. Transfer the mixture into the cake pan and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan with a spoon to form the cheesecake base. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

  3. Make the filling

    Place white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan with simmering water. Melt over low heat. In a large bowl mix the double cream and cream cheese until smooth (use an electric whisk if preffered). Add powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Mix in melted chocolate and set aside.

  4. Arrange the cheesecake

    Pour the filling over the prepared base, use a spatula to spread it evenly. Cover the cake pan in cling film and chill the cheesecake in the fridge for 6 hours (or overnight).

  5. Decorate and serve

    After the cheesecake has chilled, drizzle the coulis over the cheesecake and top with the remaining raspberries. Now you’re cheesecake is ready to serve!

Tips

  • Make it the day before you want to eat it – this cheesecake needs around 6 hours (up to overnight) in the fridge to chill and set.
  • To create a raspberry swirl effect in your cheesecake, after pouring the filling onto the base, pour some of the coulis onto the hot filling and use a chopstick to swirl the coulis into the filling.
  • For an extra zingy taste, add a teaspoon of lemon juice into your cheesecake filling.
  • If you’re harvesting your own raspberries this autumn, remember to pick on a dry day, then either use them fresh or freeze them for later use.

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