Tuesday 21 May 2019

May Cookery Book



Hello there, it's been a while since Penny at The Homemade Heart ran her Cookery Calendar Challenge. I'd fully intended to carry on with it regardless but... I didn't. Strangely I've missed the challenge of finding 2 meals to cook from a cookery book each month. So I thought I would dust off some of my forgotten cookery books again and see which ones inspire me to 'have a go' and which ones I'll be sending to the charity shop.

Whilst testing food on the Fodmap diet, I've been put me off baking and experimenting with new meals lately. With tomato seeming to be an issue still, I've decided to 'try' and embrace change. I may not be able to eat all that I want but I can eat more than I thought.

So on 'my' continuing mission, these are the voyages of my celebration of food, its continuing mission to feed my family, to seek out new ingredients and enjoy long forgotten ones. To boldly go where I've not been for a very long time.

Unlike Star Trek, I won't be exploring the galaxy, instead I'll explore the pantry and bookshelf. I'll be using the above cookbook which the teens bought me last year for Mother's Day. I should point out that though it says Grandma's Cookbook, I am not a Grandma. It is a lovely book but I confess, I've only chosen one recipe to cook this time. I've found a few others that I'd like but as yet I've not made them.

Banana and Poppy Seed Muffins



To get me started I chose a recipe from the breakfast section - Banana and Poppy Seed Muffin. I made mine with gluten free flour, a mixed blend from Doves flour. I have some in the pantry still and I've become accustomed to the texture, though it can be grainy and dry, it's not sticky like regular flour can be. People who don't eat cake will often say that it's the stickiness around their teeth that they dislike.

Apart from pastry, I prefer the non-stickiness of gluten free baking. I appreciate that Coeliacs and other restricted diets don't have a choice and have to stick with a gluten free diet. People sometimes chose - 'opting' for certain diets such as gluten free, vegetarian or vegan which unfortunately can be contentious in restaurants or social gatherings etc but we are free to chose and that's got to be good. 


I'm not sure if these are classed as healthy muffins, the fat is an oil. I'm assuming the more liquid the fat, the healthier it is. Baking for dairy free friends last summer, I substituted butter in some cakes for dairy free fat. I suppose you can swap things around however you need to. They taste delicious in a small dish with natural yoghurt and would equally be nice with a soft cheese icing - such as the topping on a carrot cake.

You do need 3 well ripened bananas, which the recipe requires you to mash first before adding to the rest of the ingredients. Did I do this... no. I simply broke the banana into chunks and tossed them and all the other ingredients in my Braun Multipractic Food Processor. Placing the bowl on the scales, I weighed everything with the blade in place. Then attaching it on the base, processed everything until smooth.

Delia Smith (love her cookery books) would probably be screaming nooo! as she advises lots of air to be incorporated in cakes. As long as it mixes well and preferably doesn't curdle, all will be well. I tend to favour the all-in-one method and always make pastry in my Braun mixer too.


Bacon and Mushroom Quiche




These quiches weren't in the book but I simply fancied cooking them for dinner. Maybe they aren't the sort of thing that Grandmas cook, I'm not sure? Anyway I love making quiche and though I always make variations upon quiche lorraine, I'm constantly improving them all the time. I resent paying for small tasteless things from the supermarkets. I've tried baking the pastry blind and using beans (clay ones) on the base, in the past. This time was ok, no leaks but my pastry base was a bit raw! Any advice would be appreciated.

My quiches are baked in large 12" tins, I always bake two as it's convenient for tomorrow's dinner. These are made with regular flour, in a preheated oven with the tins placed on top of metal trays to make the bases hot. I painted egg yoke on after 15 mins but then sprinkled grated cheese on before the other ingredients.

The fillings are:- (shared between both) - Grated cheese, cooked streaky bacon cut small, a drained tin of mushrooms, black pepper, herbs, double cream and 4 eggs plus 2 extra yokes whisked together. The pastry was shortcrust using 1 lb plain flour, 8 oz fat (I used half cookeen and butter) and cold water to bind into a dough. We cooked the quiche for tonight's dinner, one with chips and a salad, tomorrow we'll eat the other one with a jacket potato and salad.

QT would like to thank you for reading about his life during May. He received a surprising amount of lovely comments which he felt he should respond to purr-sonally. He's quite the little superstar, though as a Maine Coon cat he is slightly larger than your average sized domestic cat. He is quite long and stands tall on his long legs. He's been taking your advice this week, including more rest time in his busy retirement schedule of  'plenty of sleep.'
We love him to bits and think he's worth it.

What do you like to cook that you won't purchase ready made?
Do you have a recipe that you are hoping to improve on?
Do you do batch baking and if so what?

Bye for now
Cathy x


26 comments:

  1. Well.. now you've made me hungry. lol! I think it's great that you cook so much from scratch! I just made some yummy home-made spaghetti. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry Teresa oops! I try and cook from scratch as you know what's in it. Hope your spaghetti was nice, Cx

      Delete
  2. Another fan of quiche here, and they are quite simple and quick to make. I usually double up on my pastry and freeze some, but don't batch bake as I have limited space in my freezer.
    My favourite quiche is piled high with brocolli and I prefer to eat it cold. Store bought ones always appear a little flat. X

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jules for sharing your favourite way to do quiche, I find store quiches flat and bland, Cx

      Delete
  3. I am a great fan of quiche and make them regularly for events too. I batch bake in readiness for those busy days hospital appointments and such. Stews/casseroles/pasta sauce/curry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a very good idea Lorraine, we had the other quiche tonight with a jacket potato. My husband had new potatoes instead as he doesn't like jacket potatoes, Cx

      Delete
  4. That quiche looks delicious. No one here will eat quiche except me so it's something I don't often have, I never make my own as it seem pointless when it's just for myself. I really should spoil myself a bit more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jo, I often think that the individual ones that butchers sell on their deli counter look tempting. You could always have one for dinner and any leftovers for a tasty lunch the following day, Cx

      Delete
  5. We like a good quiche - although I tend to give them a miss because they are quite calorific. My "secret" to NOT blind-baking the pastry is to bake the quiche at high temperature (>200 degrees) near the bottom of the oven set to traditional not fan assisted heating. My favourite quiche is a Swiss onion tart (recipe on my blog if you want to give it a go). I have barely cooked a meal since January, the kitchen has been taken over by my man and the teens :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Christina for sharing your tips, I'll try that method the next time I make quiche. I had a look at your Swiss onion tart and may try that one too. Enjoy your cooking free life at the moment, Cx

      Delete
  6. mmmm, yum! I can't eat raw tomatoes because of the horrible mouth sores I get (my RA and my meds). I still sometimes eat a tiny bit and cross my fingers...it's never in my favor!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Karen, that's a shame about the tomatoes Karen, still if you feel better without them, that's what you have to do, Cx

      Delete
  7. Those items look deeeeeelicious!!!!! Oh my!

    We are aware of more healthy choices here, as well.

    Usually one meal, does double duty. Especially crock pot meals.

    I have to eat Gluten Free so something like a Quiche has to take no flour crust into account. -sigh- A problem, but going G/F, years ago, cured my IBS!!!!! And that result is so wonderful, that the issues G/F causes, are no big deal. :-)

    Needing to be G/F, home cooking is the best, here! Know exactly what is going into, what I/we are eating.

    ✨✨✨✨

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks W. o. w. it's good that you can cook your own food from scratch, at least you know it's safe to eat. I don't know if you've struggled to make gf pastry for topping pies eg Steak and Kidney (or snake and sidney as my husband says), I found Delia Smith's suet crust pastry helped make a good pie crust.
      I got the recipe from her (black book) complete cookery course. I basically use half suet to double self raising GF flour, salt, parsley (optional), water to bind. Cut it into 4 and shaping each quarter with your hands into a flattish shape.
      Place on top of the meat and ease/join the pieces together and stick with water, leaving a hole for steam to escape. Rolling GF pastry can be tricky but this method works well and rises a little.
      As a guide - though this recipe below is with rolled regular pastry. Cx https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/old-english-rabbit-pie

      Delete
  8. It must spoil the enjoyment of eating when certain foods cause problems. A home made quiche or a pie would be a treat as my husband and family members who eat at our house don't eat pastry. The grandchildren enjoy my cakes, but I have to be in the mood for baking. We tend to stick to the same diet and, of course, enjoy different Italian recipes. We cook from scratch each day. My husband likes to do the cooking although I have certain dishes I cook such as chicken in bread crumbs, chicken pieces served in a sauce with rice and cottage pie. I like to eat at our local daughter's as she's a vegetarian and it's a change to enjoy something different.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right it can be a pain, particularly when it comes to wanting to eat out. I think we all eat the same meals regularly but it's nice to be adventurous occasionally. Cx

      Delete
  9. I'm a Grandma and I haven't cooked a quiche for about thirty years but I have to say that having read your post, I fancy having another go. I used to make a courgette and cheese one from Delia's Complete Cookery Course and now that my vegetarian courgette-hater has left home it might be worthwhile making it again. Thank you! I have rarely found a quiche in the supermarket that I like. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad I've inspired you Mrs Tiggywinkle, it's nice to revisit favourite recipes. Maybe tweak them a bit until you've improved your skills, all the best. Cx

      Delete
  10. Now hubby and I have recently become empty nesters as DS left things are becoming different for us in the food dept. Looking forward to trying new thing for just 2 instead of feeding a great 6' 4" son as well. Your quiche look yummy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All the best with trying new things in the kitchen, one day this could be me! My son at 19 isn't ready to move out, so happily eats a lot at home. Cx

      Delete
  11. Everything looks delicious. I try to be as gluten free as possible. I have no real issues but wheat tends to upset my stomach. I'd love to try the muffins. Hope you had fun making them and even more fun eating them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Meredith, many people have found gluten free helps. Personally I eat gluten & wheat but not if it has rye, barley or soya mixed with it. Cx

      Delete
  12. I love reading about peoples's cookery challenges. I meant to join in but didn't rea;;y get around to it. I tend to include our new meals in my ing.. posts. I miss a quiche with things in. My girls will now happily eat a cheese one but as soon as I start meddling with it they don't like them. I am a bit of a soup and jam snob. I only like my homemade ones really they seem to have so much more flavour. Jo xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoy yours and Christina's ...ing posts. I'm the same with soups, I love my homemade ones too. Cx

      Delete
  13. Every time I read these posts of yours, I think I need to get out my cookbooks and be a bit more adventurous with them. We've fallen in quite the rut and ready made food options lately with life being so busy. The banana poppy seed muffins look good and like another great option for the always too brown bananas I seem to have an endless supply of hanging around here. Happy cooking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You've been busy lately with all the graduation preparation recently, Maybe join in next time. It's not a link part at the moment, Penny at The Homemade Heat has stopped running them for now. I only did one recipe last time, originally the challenge was to choose 2 recipes. I'm going to try and make another recipe from the same book over the weekend. If I find another recipe I like in there, I'll make that too. Cx

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...