Camera & Clementine

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Heart Warming Valentines Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar

I don’t need an excuse to bake, but since its almost St Valentines day, I thought I’d whip up a batch of cookies for my special someone. Who wouldn’t appreciate a tin of homemade goodies, right?

These baked cookies are really easy to put together, and what’s great about them is you can make the dough in advance, and freeze it. Just thaw for an hour, and they are ready to be shaped into love hearts!

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Makes 40

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
1/2 lemon, rind of
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp brown sugar

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Cream the butter, caster sugar, then add the vanilla, and lemon rind, cream until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs lightly and add to the creamed mixture. Sift the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt, add to the egg/butter mixture. Mix in until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide into 2, then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes. Or freeze for up to a month.

Preheat the oven to 170°C/fan160°C/gas 4.

Roll out one portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 cm. Cut out disks, using a heart cutter, and place on baking sheets lined with baking paper. Now sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar lightly over the tops of the cookies.

Re-knead and roll the trimmings to make more biscuits.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Carefully lift onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

Store in an airtight container for a week.

Pear, Leek and Veggie Sausage Stuffing

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

So we have started the new year, and the festive season is over. We can all breathe easy again! I made it through the holidays in good health, and just as new year passed, I got a big old nasty cold! I think the whole country has a cold this week. So, I thought I’d share with you a recipe that I did for Kitchen Garden Magazine this month, on juicy pears. And this stuffing is perfect for enjoying under the covers on the couch, watching daytime TV, and generally feeling sorry for yourself….!

When its cold outside, and you’re stuck indoors, comforting food is the way forward, especially when you have a cold!
With sweet pear, and tangy leeks, it’s a delicious winter warming dish to try out. I use veggie sausages, but if you eat meat, try using free-range pork sausages. Serve as a side dish, or as a main.

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Pear, Leek and Veggie Sausage Stuffing

Serves 4

4 free range pork sausages, or 4 vegetarian sausages, chopped

2 slices of crusty organic bread

1 medium leek, chopped

1 pear, diced

1 small bunch of parsley

4 sage leaves

1 tbsp vintage red wine vinegar

1 tbsp cranberries

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

pinch of chilli

1 egg

salt and pepper

olive oil

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In a large pan, gently fry the leek, pumpkin seeds and chopped sausage in a little olive oil for a few min. Add the vinegar, chilli seeds, cranberries, and chopped parsley, stir in.

Roughly chop or tear the bread into chunks, add to the pan and heat through.

Take off the heat and transfer into an ovenproof dish, mix in the egg, sage leaves, salt and pepper. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 min until golden.

Black Forest Gâteau with Morello Cherries and Whisky. Happy New Year!

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

It’s the last day of the year, and although it’s not New Year’s Day yet, I have U2’s song of the same title on repeat in my head.
It’s cold, it’s dark and it’s blustery. But the darkness only amplifies the need for a celebration, and highlights the reason that our modern Calender follows the old winter celebratory dates of ancient times.

I’m getting ready to have some dear friends over to see in the bells with a bonfire and spiced mulled cider. I’ll be serving up a retro spread of Fondue and Black Forrest Gâteau!

Are we entering 2014 or 1980 you ask!

Traditionally Kirsch is used in a Black Forest Gâteau, but I had none at hand, so Whisky went in instead…a yummy substitution by the way.

In any case, Happy New Year to you all!

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Black Forest Gateau
Serves 8-10

400g morello cherries, from a jar plus a little juice
375g sugar
2 eggs
500ml whipping cream
2 tsp almond extract
250g good dark chocolate
300g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300g morello cherry jam
30g organic cocoa
200ml buttermilk
175g butter
100ml hot water
A pinch of salt
A handful of fresh cherries, for the top
4 tbsp Whisky

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Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease 3 x 20cm cake tins.

Start by mixing the dry ingredients, flour, cocoa, sugar, bicarbonate and salt in a large bowl.
Melt the butter with half the chocolate in a small pan over low heat, stirring continuously.

Add the buttermilk to the melted butter to cool it. Whisk the eggs briefly then add to the melted mixture, alongside the almond extract. Pop that into the dry ingredients and whisk. Next add the boiling water and whisk till smooth. (boiling water helps keep things smooth)

Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 20 min, then swap the tins bottom tin with the two higher up, to get an even bake. Bake for a further 5 min. Push a skewer in the centre of the cake, checking that it comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tins for 10 min, then transfer onto a wire rack.

Prick the cakes all over with a fork, then pour a little cherry juice and 4 tbsp Whisky over the cakes. Leave the cakes to absorb the liquid for as long as you have got time for. Min 30 min. Ideally 1 hour.

Meanwhile mix together the drained cherries and cherry jam. And chop the chocolate.

Pop 200ml of the cream into a pan and heat until just below simmering point. Put the chocolate into the cream, and stir until melted. Set aside until thick, this takes an hour.

When the cakes are cool whisk the remaining cream until whipped. Spread the cream over two of the cakes, then spoon over the jammy cherries. Stack the cakes together. Spread the chocolate ganache over the top tier, and decorate with extra fresh cherries.

Healthy Carrot Bread Rolls

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

Christmas has passed, although there is still plenty of party spirit left in me, and no doubt some more seasonal indulgence will occur. However, in between Christmas and New Year I’m experiencing a strong need to cook some healthy meals and bake some filling breads.

Ive taken my old classic bread roll recipe, and flung a load of carrots, from my garden no less, into the mixture for added natural sweetness and colour. The addition of carrots alowed me to remove the butter/oil from my original recipe, aiding to its health status!

Ive also replaced my usual wholemeal flour with the most delicious organic malt house flour, from Shipton Mill. I can really recommend their flours, they’re full bodied and rich, with substance and taste.

I have just been eating these rolls with butter, as the bread itself is so flavoursome.

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Healthy Carrot Bread Rolls
Makes 6 Bread Rolls

1 tsp easy bake yeast
500g organic shipton mill malt house flour
1 tsp salt
130g carrots, grated
350ml lukewarm water
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In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt and yeast. Then add the water and grated carrot. Mix well to form a soft dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead for at least 10 min by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour whilst kneading if the dough gets sticky. Drizzle a little olive oil into a bowl, pop the dough in, cover and leave to rise in a warm spot for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

When risen, divide the dough into 6 balls and place on a greased baking tray. Cover with a tea-towel and leave to rise for an additional 45 min.

In a preheated oven at 220 °c / fan 200°c / gas 6, bake for 30-35 min, until golden. The rolls are ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Leave to cool on a wire rack, and enjoy with salted butter.

Merry Christmas Cookies with Cardamom and Lime

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

Christmas is here! And there is just enough time to bake a few extra nibbles and homemade treats to serve over the holidays. Or if you have forgotten to buy a gift for a guest, wrap these up with a big bow! I have just gotten a fabby buiscuit stamp in Denmark, so I happily stamped all my disks with ‘Made with Love’, perfect for an edible present, right!

I love to combine contrasting flavours, such as lime and cardamom, which I have used to spice these Christmas Cookies with. They have a light crumbly texture that go very well with a cup of tea on a cozy afternoon, after all the gift wrapping is done.

Merry Christmas to you all!

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Makes 40

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
1/2 lime, juiced
5 cardamom pods, shelled and crushed
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

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Cream the butter, caster sugar, vanilla, crushed cardamom and lime juice together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat the the eggs lightly and add the butter. Sift the flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt, and add to the egg/butter mixture. Mix in until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, divide into 2, then wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

(you can leave it in the fridge for 4-5 days, if needed)

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4.

Roll out one portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/2 cm. Cut out disks, using a round cutter, or which ever shape takes your fancy. Place on baking sheets lined with baking paper, and use stamp if you have one. Re-knead and roll the trimmings to make more biscuits.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges. Carefully lift onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

Black Pepper Christmas Biscuits

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

Around Christmas time, I like to make up batches of edible gifts that can be given to friends and family during the festive period. I like the concept of edible presents, as there’s a good chance they will be received gladly. So when you’re next stuck for ideas for someone’s Christmas present, look to your baking books and kitchen cupboards for inspiration!

For these cute biscuit houses and trees, I’ve given them a little extra kick by adding freshly ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne as well as the traditional ginger and cinnamon combo. I also like to make these crunchy treats with a little organic spelt flour, so as not to exclude all nutrients entirely!

Wrap the biscuits in a rustic paper box with a little gold tissue for a homemade gift that will bring smiles to faces.

The uncooked biscuit dough can be put into a food bag and kept in the fridge for up to a week. Ensuring a steady supply of freshly baked cookies over the Christmas period.

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Makes roughly 40 biscuits

Ingredients

175g muscovado sugar
90g golden syrup
100g butter
1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
50g organic spelt flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 organic egg, lightly beaten

For the Icing

125g icing sugar
a couple of tsp cold water

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In a saucepan, heat the sugar, golden syrup, butter and spices until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

Activate the bicarb by adding 1 tsp of cold water to it, in a small bowl. Add the flour to a large bowl, and make a well in the centre, add the melted butter mix, egg and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well. The dough will feel soft, but will stiffen once refrigerated. Wrap in cling film, and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Cut the dough in half. Thinly roll out one half on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with cutters, and transfer to baking trays lined with baking parchment, leaving a little room for them to spread.

Bake for 10-12 mins until they darken slightly, but not too much or the flavour will be impaired. Cool for a few minutes on the baking trays, then transfer to a wire rack to cool and harden up completely.

Mix a few tsp water with the icing sugar to form a stiff paste, transfer the icing into a piping bag, or plastic bag, with the tip cut of. Pipe the icing around the edges of the biscuits, as desired.

Christmas Spiced Chocolate Beer Cake

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

If I felt that this cake could have handled one more adjectives in the title, I would have called it: Non Traditional Rustic Christmas Spiced Chocolate Beer Cake with a Chai Tea Glaze…! Its non traditional in the sense that it is chocolate instead of fruit, its quick with simple ingredients and rustic in its nature. Sometimes its just nice to not make a big fuss, but know that your cake will turn out great none the less.

I served this cake up for our annual Christmas party last weekend, and its no fuss rustic good looks seemed to go down a treat.

This recipe features Christmas beer, which seems very fitting, as we have just returned home from Copenhagen where we attempted to sample as many Christmas beers as possible. If Christmas beer isn’t on hand, any dark ale will suffice.

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Batter:

470 ml Christmas Beer or Dark Ale
180g unsalted butter, plus more for the tin
85g organic pure cocoa powder
3 cloves
3 cardamoms
1 tsp cinnamon
65g whole wheat flour
200g all-purpose flour
130g muscovado sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 large organic eggs
350 ml greek yoghurt

Glaze:

80g icing sugar
a couple of tbsp boiling water
1 chai tea bag

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Preheat oven to 180 C, and grease a large bunt tin.

In a saucepan simmer the beer with the spices and reduce the volume to roughly 250 ml. Remove from heat, add the butter and cocoa, stir until combined. Fish out the cloves and cardamom pods, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, sugar, salt and baking soda, then add the eggs and yoghurt. Lightly mix, before adding the beer mixture, mix well, but don’t over mix the batter or it will become tough.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave to cook slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack.

In the meantime, make the icing by steeping a chai tea bag in boiling water for 5 min. Gradually add enough of the liquid to the icing sugar to make a smooth icing. When the cake is cool, spread the icing around the top allowing some to run down the sides.

Happy Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

Happy Thanksgiving!

My dad is over in the states celebrating Thanksgiving with our American family this week. And although its not a date to celebrate in the UK, I couldn’t help my self and had to make a pumpkin pie, nonetheless!

One of the crops that I had most looked forward to from my garden this year were indeed pumpkins. I hadn’t grown them before, so I was very excited about the prospect of having my garden completely filled to the brim with enormous orange balls, lighting up the autumn garden when all the other crops had vanished. However..I totally oversaw the need to sever the shoots of the pumpkin plant after the first fruit had started growing, in order for the plant to just concentrate on the one fruit and to get big pumpkins. So instead of a few large pumpkins, I got a lot of small ones…You live and learn.

However, here is a tasty and very traditional use of the gorgeous flesh from the iconic pumpkin. To make it a little different I throw in a handful of crushed amaretto biscuits for some depth in flavor.

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Pumpkin Pie

Pastry

225g plain flour

110g butter

80g sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tbsp cold water

Filling

250 g pumpkin flesh, cut into chunks

2 large eggs plus 1 yolk

75g muscovado sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground mixed spice

½ tsp ground ginger

275 ml single cream

2 tbsp crushed amaretto biscuits.

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Method:

Crumb together by hand or using a food processor the butter and flour. Next add the sugar and mixed spice.

Add in the egg to form a soft dough – add the water if needed.

Wrap in cling film, and chill for 1 hour.

Once chilled, roll the pastry out to 1 cm thickness, and place in a 21cm pie dish. Blind bake at 170 degrees for 15 -20 min until lightly golden. Remove from oven, and set aside, but leave oven on.

With the excess pastry, cut out leaf decorations for the pie. (i do this by hand, but I know you can get some cool cutters too)

To Make the filling;

Remove the pumpkin skin and dice the flesh. Steam the flesh in a pan for 10 min, until tender.

Bring the cream, muscovado sugar and spices to a boil whilst stirring, then remove from the heat.

Add the pumpkin to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the eggs plus yolk, and cooled cream mixture and whizz again until well combined.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pastry case, and bake for 25 min until just set, remove the pie from the oven, and place the leaf decorations on top of the pie. Bake for a further 20 min until fully set. Cool on a wire rack, and serve cold with whipped cream or ice cream.

Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

Its been longer than usual since I last posted any tasty recipes, tut tut! Recently I feel like I’ve been chasing my tail, trying to catch up on to many things all at once! However, it’s pumpkin season! And I have made pumpkin jam, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin pie and in this recipe- Spiced Pumpkin Bread! And believe it or not, Im not pumpkined out yet!

I thought I’d share this recipe with you, that I created for Kitchen Garden Magazine last month, as its super seasonal and delicious. Its a lovely moist cake and surprisingly filling, which I think makes a good cake for taking on a trip, up a hill or into an Autumn forest.

Or simply enjoy with a hot cup of tea in a warm cosy spot! And as I wait for next weeks pumpkin pie entry to bake in the oven, I’ll try and catch up on some of those many lists that need doing….

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Spiced Pumpkin Bread

Makes 2 loaves (suitable for freezing without the icing)

225g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

300g plain flour

200g soft brown sugar

225g granulated sugar

3 large eggs

125ml butter milk

325g pumpkin, grated

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

½ tsp nutmeg

Frosting

70g unsalted butter, softened
200g cream cheese
400g icing sugar sifted

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Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, and grease and line 2 1lb loaf tins.

Grate the pumpkin flesh, and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients including, flour, sugars, baking powder, bicarb and spices in a large bowl.

Next, whisk the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter in a large bowl.

Add the grated pumpkin to the bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared loaf tins and place on the middle shelf of the oven.

Bake for 30 min, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tins, then remove and place on a wire rack to cool off completely.

For the frosting:

Using a food processor, whip the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix in by hand until just combined. When the cakes are cool, spread the frosting over the cakes, using a pallet knife or spoon.

Fig and Honey Yoghurt with Poppy Seeds and a Taste of Portugal

Published by Anna @ Camera & Clementine

I am back from a most wonderful time in Portugal. The weather was magnificent, gifting us with pleasant warm breezes and cloud free skys. It wasn’t easy adjusting back to the autumn weather up here in the more northern latitudes of Scotland, but I can comfort myself with the knowledge, that under this thick fisherman’s sweater, I do indeed have a tan!

The best thing about taking a trip away, for me, is forgetting all the everyday tasks of home life and work, and allowing yourself to fall into a new more relaxed routine. Our routine whilst away, was to be woken up at dawn by the local cockerel, make our sleepy way to the balcony and watch the sunrise over freshly made coffee. When I’m on holiday, breakfasts are my favorite meal, they are a chance to sample the county’s freshest produce, usually in a way which requires little preparation or cooking, and usually in its most simple of forms. I spent lost of time traipsing through local vegetable markets, and filling my basket full in the local food shops. Cooking whilst on holiday is not a chore for me, its a tremendous way of tasting a country in all its ripe and colourful splendour! And so in the afternoons, after spending the day by the pool, or on the beach, I would rush to the greengrocers to dream up the next days breakfast feast.

Nothing tastes quite as good, as fruit that is properly ripe. I don’t eat very much fruit in this country, except for apples, as I don’t think anything has any taste!

However, a tree ripened peach, or a bursting ripe fig taste heavenly beyond words.

Here is a breakfast idea for Fig and Honey Yoghurt with Poppy Seeds, using local mountain honey.