Sultana Scones (Gluten Free)

One of my earliest memories of cooking is making scones at nursery in Scotland, my memory is pretty hazy as the recollection seems to have me measure and mix these little cream tea beauties with no help at all, what I do remember is planning to make sweet scones and ending up with cheese but whatevs, it’s the thought that counts.  I’ve been thinking a lot about scones and Welsh cakes recently, I think I was inspired by LondonEats recipe here.  It made me remember another episode from childhood when visiting my grandparents in Cardigan, watching my Step Gran making them on the  griddle and  serving them up warm with butter and jam mmmmm, just thinking about them is making me dribble so I’ll definitely have to make a gluten free version soon.  Anyways onto the scones, I think I’d forgotten how easy these are to whip up, but simple they are and best eaten on the day or frozen to keep fresh.  These gluten free ones are quite crumbly but just as delicious and can easily be adapted to make plain scones or cheese ones by swapping in and out some ingredients (I don’t need to spell it out to you do I?)

Makes about 6

Ingredients:

• 8oz of gluten free self raising flour
• 2 oz of butter
• 2 oz sugar
• 1 egg
• milk (I explain the measurement below)
• A big handful of sultanas

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees (fan).

Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl.  Mix in the sultanas. Crack an egg into a measuring jug add the sugar and then top up with milk until it reaches the 5 fluid oz mark.  Whip the egg and milk mixture together then add to the dry ingredients.  Stir together then get your hands in to form into a ball.  Flour a board and plop out and flatten so that your mixture is about 2/3 cm thick.  Cut out rounds with a cutter (in an ideal world) or in my world a small mug.  Place on a baking tray lined with parchment, brush with egg wash (not essential) and bake in the oven for about 15 min until golden.

Serve warm with lashings (love that word) of butter, jam and, go on then, a big fat dollop of cream.

Butternut Squash Bake

This is basically a bastardisation of the creamy, thigh fatteningly good Dauphinois Potatoes except in a very generous attempt to create a slimmer version I’ve replaced the tatties with squash and probably cheapened it a little by using some bog standard cheddar on the top.  Anyways this is super simple and has become a weekly staple at Flood towers.  I eat it on its own or with some wilted spinach although it would make a smashing side to a roast if you can be bothered.

Butternut Squash Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 tub of double cream (erm about 200ml or whatever the medium size tub holds or your dish can take?)
• 1 fat clove of garlic
• A big handful of cheddar or whatever cheese you fancy

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees.  Peel the squash and slice into thin slices, as thin as you can get basically, if you;ve got a mandolin then go you but I did pretty well with a cleaver and some concentrated slicing.  Peel and half a garlic clove then rub the garlic round the dish you are using, I used a glass casserole dish but a deepish baking tray would do.  Chop the remaining garlic and set aside for a mo.

And so begins the layering, spread out even layers of squash then a sprinkle of garlic, then squash until you get near the top, that’s when I start to care about the layout and fan them nicely across the top (although it doesn’t really matter as you’ll see from the appalling photograph, as it gets covered in molten cheese and cream by the end).  Then pour over the cream letting it drip down to the bottom, don’t worry about filling it right to the brim, it seems to work just fine without cream overload.  Sprinkle the top with cheese, oh go on then a little more, then slide into the oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes until the squash is tender and the top is molten and bubbling, golden and cheesy goodness.

I told you about the photo didn't I?

Serve as suggested before with wilted spinach, or a salad or let this accompany your Sunday roast.

Cardamom and Cinnamon Kulfi Lollies

As promised, here is that lovely Kulfi recipe I mentioned a few days ago.  This recipe was very kindly donated to me by my friend Reshma’s mother.  I used some pretty nifty little rocket lolly moulds from the legendary Poundland! This amount of mixture made enough to make 12 mini lollies.

Ingredients:

1 small tub of double cream

1/2 tin of evaporated milk

1/2 pint of milk

6 cardamom pods, crushed

1 stick of cinnamon

Sugar to taste

Method:

Heat the milk and cream together in a saucepan with the spices.  When it comes up to the simmer, take off the heat and add sugar, probably about 3 tablespoons.  Stir and leave to cool.  Then pour into lolly moulds and freeze.

Maya Gold Addict’s Easy Healing Pudding

Did I mention I scalded myself earlier cooking rice? Well I was in some pain, so in order to relieve the wound I decided to invoke the healing powers of Green and Black’s Maya Gold.  This is probably the easiest recipe on here, in fact I’m not so sure you can call it a recipe.  Anyways, I had half a tub of cream left from the rhubarb fool I made yesterday and in an attempt to waste less I thought it only right I use it up in this luscious little pud. 

Simply…. heat cream in a pan, add chocolate, stir until melted together and pour into little pots ( I used shot glasses) and chill. Then, most importantly, scrape every last drop of the left overs out of the pan and into your mouth.  Use your fingers, your tongue, a spoon, whatever utensils you think can help and breath deeply letting the chocolate do it’s work. 

Healed!

Celeriac and Potato Gratin

This is a really rich, creamy and earthy treat for dinner. I had this on it’s own, it would be lovely with a simple green salad or even as a side dish in a bigger meal but it’s so rich I think it’s best in the starring role.

Ingredients:
Small celeriac, peeled and sliced very thinly
1 medium potato, sliced very thinly
1 clove of garlic
1/2 pint of milk
150/200ml of double cream
30g Parmesan cheese

Method:

Rub a baking dish with the garlic clove.
Fill with the sliced potato and celeriac and the rest of the garlic chopped. Season as you layer.
Pour milk over and place in preheated oven at 170 for about 40 min.
Drain off milk and fill with cream.
Top with grated Parmesan.
Return to oven for about half a hour at 200.
Put under gril for a couple of min at the end to ensure a golden bubbling crust.