Home-made Hotdog Buns - heavenly!!!

Pin It

First published: 24/09/2016 

I had a heavenly hotdog in NY and a fabulous frankfurter in... Frankfurt and what they both had in common was that the bread was as good as the filling. The long-life yokes you get in the supermarket marked ‘Hotdog Buns’ aren’t WTC* (Worth The Calories) and I don’t know a bakery that does fresh hotdog buns.

Invest about 20 minutes relatively easy active time – think of it as therapy. You can be pottering about doing other stuff as they prove and bake and before you know it, you’ll have 9 heavenly hotdog buns ready to receive whatever deliciousness you decide to fill them with. Here's what the taste-testers had to say:

For 9 heavenly hotdog buns, you will need…
...to pre-heat the oven to 190C before baking

450g strong white flour (bread flour)

1 x 7g sachet of dry active yeast
1½ teaspoons of fine table salt
25g caster sugar
1 egg at room temperature, beaten
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
100mls warm milk (approx. 38°C)
150mls warm water, (approx. 38°C). Note, you may not need to use it all

a little beaten egg

Method

Combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl and add the egg and olive oil. Mix well. Next, add the warm milk. Continue mixing while you add as much of the warm water as necessary until the dough comes together in a ball (you may not need all the water). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Alternatively place all the ingredients in a stand mixer and mix with a dough hook until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).

Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave until doubled in size. (I sometimes leave it to develop overnight in the fridge for a bigger flavour but in a warm, draught-free spot, it should take about an hour.)

Next, turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead gently to deflate. Divide it into 9 even pieces – I weigh each piece, which is usually approximately 90g.

Flatten into an oblong, roll into a sausage, pinch along the seam and tuck in the ends

To shape the rolls, form each piece into a sausage shape about 9cm long. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough sausage out flat until you have an oblong about 6cm wide and 11cm long. Working from one long side, roll the dough up tightly into a sausage shape again, pinching along the join. Neaten the ends by tucking them in and pinching them closed. Sit the buns – seam side down – on a lightly-floured parchment-lined or non-stick baking tray about 2cm apart, and press gently along the top of each bun so that it doesn’t rise excessively. Cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm, draught-free spot until doubled in size.

Let sleeping dogs lie ... until doubled in size

When ready to bake, pre-heat the oven and about a minute or two before baking, place a roasting dish on the bottom shelf of the oven and add a cupful of hot water. (The steam will help the hotdog buns rise and help create a shiny crust.)  

I never go out without a touch of gloss...

Brush the hotdog buns gently with a little beaten egg before baking on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

10 minutes later ... a tan worthy of the 'Strictly' makeup department !!!

Split across the middle when completely cold, being careful not to cut all the way through. Freeze or use within 24 hours.

The doggone dogs are all gone!

So, do you fry, grill, steam or simmer your hotdogs? Do you keep the topping simple with fried onion, ketchup and mustard or do you pimp your dog with exotic or unusual ingredients? Do you have a vegetarian alternative? Let me know by leaving a comment below. Pin It

“Big Apple” Cheesecake – I can resist everything except temptation!

Pin It

Warning: You will want second helpings!

There was an old-fashioned sweetshop across the road from my school. On a shelf behind the counter stood a row of large glass jars filled with cola cubes, pear drops, black and white striped bulls eyes. My favourites by far were apple drops. I was powerless to walk past that shop without being lured in to exchange my pocket money for a paper bag of these sugar jewels.

I have grown up. I can resist apple drops. My guilty pleasure is cheesecake - but it must be WTC (you know what that means by now). One that definitely falls into the WTC category is this 'Big Apple' cheesecake.

I fool myself into thinking my 'Big Apple' cheesecake isn't quite as naughty as it appears because it has real fruit smoothie as an ingredient. I've used Innocent’s ‘kiwis, apples and limes’ smoothie because it is the apple-iest smoothie I’ve encountered.* “Innocent” it may be, but it would cause angels to hang up their halos!

Bourbon Biscuits... destined for a better future!

For 1 'Big Apple'  cheesecake (about 10 slices) you will need...

Chocolate Crumb Base

75g butter

200g bourbon biscuits, crushed (you could use Oreos)

1         First make the base: Melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat. Then, add in the crushed bourbon biscuits, mixing well until all the butter has been absorbed. Empty the biscuit mixture into a loose-bottomed 21cm (8”) round cake tin and press gently into an even layer. Leave to cool.

Chocolately crumbs - the best sort!

Filling

1 X 125g packet lime jelly/Jell-O (sufficient for 1 pint of jelly or Jell-O)

100mls boiling water

Approximately 150mls of Innocent ‘kiwis, apples and limes’ smoothie (or other apple-y smoothie)

350g full fat cream cheese

100g caster sugar

150mls fresh cream

2         For the filling, cut the jelly into squares and place in a 500ml (1 pint) measuring jug. Add the boiling water and leave the jelly to melt, stirring occasionally. When the jelly has melted, add in just enough smoothie to bring the liquid up to the 250ml mark (you may have a little left over - that's for you to drink). Leave to cool, until the liquid becomes syrupy and nearly set.

3         Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth – an electric mixer is best for this job. Add in the cooled almost-set jelly, whisking continuously. Then whisk in the fresh cream. It will be alarmingly liquid at this stage but continue whisking for a minute or two and the mixture will begin to thicken slightly.

4         Pour over the cooled biscuit base and smooth the top.

5         Leave to set in the fridge making sure it is level otherwise you’re going to have a lopsided cheesecake and people will point and laugh.

I’ve decorated this with white and dark chocolate shapes (made by scribbling with melted chocolate on baking parchment laid over a printout of the desired shape) – I have sprinkled some of the white chocolate shapes with crushed apple drops for an even bigger apple flavour.

*This isn't an ad for Innocent. I did not receive any compensation for the mention.

Pin It

Keep Calm and Carry on Cooking - Cookbook Giveaway

Pin It

You may be home at the moment through no choice of your own, trying to keep your spirits up and perhaps with kids to keep entertained.

Keep Calm and Carry on Baking Cupcakes

I’m giving away my Kindle cookbook, Alchemy: Simple Ingredients, Magical Food, for the next 5 days, starting today, Thursday 19th March. I invite you to download it and try some of the recipes.

Click the image to go to the book

Make stuff with your kids as an activity – try the Cupcakes; the Carrot  Cake is always a hit; if you don’t have condensed milk and chocolate, then Wellington Squares can stop at Shortbread – simple and delicious!

Try Buttermilk Pancakes for breakfast (even if you don’t have buttermilk), or one of my favourites, Maple French Toast Sticks (without the maple if it means a special trip to the shops – choose your own flavours).

Keep Calm and Carry on Pouring Maple Syrup over French Toast Sticks

If you have panicked and bought a ton of pasta, there’s always Macaroni Cheese with Bells & Whistles.

Keep Calm and Carry on Eating Your Greens

There are lots of tips so you can adapt the recipes to suit you.

Keep Calm and Carry on Pouring Maple Syrup over French Toast Sticks

Keep Calm and Carry on Cooking!

Keep Calm and Carry on Eating Cake for Breakfast

Keep Calm and Carry on Finding New Uses for the Peppers at the Bottom of Your Fridge

Pin It

Colcannon Jacket Potatoes - Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit !

Pin It

Cál Ceannann - more than the sum of its parts

Due to the developing situation, Paddy's Day celebrations have been cancelled but you can still celebrate at home with one of my favourite Paddy's Day foods. If you haven't already been introduced to Colcannon, then let me tell you about someone who has.

At my sister’s wedding two summers ago, the Casey Clan had the absolutely pleasure of meeting the family and friends of her beloved. They had travelled all the way from Canada to celebrate the occasion, and to enjoy a relatively well-behaved Ireland, weather-wise.

At the feast, I noticed one of the guests tentatively poke the cnoc (hill) of carbs on his plate. It was flecked with green and spilling pools of golden butter. He aimed a forkful at his mouth and tasted it suspiciously ... and then his eyes rolled, and his face melted alarmingly into a range of emotions that shifted too quickly for me to read.

What! Is! This! Stuff!, he gasped.

You don’t like it? I enquired, somewhat anxiously.

Oh! My! God! It’s! Ah! Mazing!

It was Cál Ceannann - Colcannon - one of those simple little dishes that is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Here it is, with its jacket on, because March winds can be a little chilly!

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhuit !

Not so green as I'm cabbage-looking!

For 2 Colcannon Jacket Potatoes (which will serve 4 as a side, or 2 as a snack or lunch), you will need…

2 large baking potatoes
a little fine salt for coating

100g kale, or other frilly cabbage

25g Irish butter

1 large spring onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and white pepper to taste

50g Irish cheddar, finely grated

Irish Cheddar - grate!

Preheat your oven to 200°C

First scrub the potatoes to remove any earth, and remove any blemishes with the tip of a sharp knife. Stab about 8 times with a fork. Shake some fine salt into the palm of your hand and massage over the damp skin of the potatoes. Place in the preheated oven directly on the oven rack (or suspended on a rack over a baking tray) and bake for about 45 mins or until cooked and soft all the way through. 

Meanwhile, cook the kale (or cabbage) in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat, drain into a colander. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess water with your hands, then chop very finely.

Check the potatoes after 45 minutes by piercing them with a skewer. It should easily pierce the potatoes all the way through. If not, then give them another few minutes and check again. Once cooked, remove from the oven and cut in two length-ways.

Using a teaspoon, scoop the flesh of the potatoes into a heatproof bowl, leaving behind the potato shell and about 1cm of potato flesh so that it forms a little bowl.

The food of the gods...

Mash the hot potato with the rest of the ingredients, except for the cheddar. When well mixed, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Pile into the potato shells. Sprinkle with the cheddar (you may have to pack it into place) and return to the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheddar has melted and the potatoes are hot through.

... just got better!

_________________________________________________

Other Paddy’s Day dishes you might like:

Guinness Chocolate Cake – a piece of this is your only man!

Falafel – little green Patties on Paddy’s Day

‘Irish’ Eggs – Green, White and Gold for Paddy’s Day ! (And yes, I know it's really orange, not gold!) 

Pin It

White Soda Bread with Seeds – Too Many Cooks ...

Pin It

With two cooks in the house, sometimes my mental inventory of stores doesn’t tie in with what is (or, more often, is not) in the cupboard. I’ll often be half-way through baking a cake and I’ll reach for the eggs only to find that my beloved must have made a giant omelette for breakfast because the dozen or so that were there yesterday have vanished. 

White Soda Bread with Seeds - merely a delivery device for peach jam

Today, I had a hankering for brown soda bread to go with my friend Penny’s incredible Peach Jam. There were a few obstacles in my way, namely no brown flour, and no oatmeal – the two main constituents of my brown soda bread recipe. I could have sworn there was some there last time I looked... hmmmmm.

This white soda bread was a total experiment. I added the seeds to make it seem half-healthy.

A quick and easy bread for when you're in a jam...

Soda bread is normally cooked on a baking sheet. This is quite a wet mixture so I’ve used a 2LB loaf tin.

For one 2LB loaf you will need...
...  to pre-heat your oven to 200°C

1 teaspoon olive/sunflower oil for the baking tin

Dry ingredients

500g plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

125g mixed seeds (I used 50g pumpkin, and 25g each of brown linseed, sesame, and sunflower)

1 tablespoon runny honey

400mls buttermilk

1          Rub a 2LB loaf tin with the olive/sunflower oil.

2          Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and seeds in a mixing bowl, keeping back about a tablespoon of the mixed seeds. Stir the runny honey to the buttermilk, and add to the dry ingredients mixing just until no dry flour remains.

3          Transfer to the prepared baking tin and level the surface before scattering with the tablespoon of seeds you reserved. Place in the pre-heated oven and set your timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes has elapsed, lower the heat to 180°C and continue baking for a further 15 minutes.

4          Take the loaf from the oven and remove the tin. A cooked loaf will sound hollow when tapped on the base.

5          Leave to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.



Always seek out the seed of triumph in every adversity                  ~ Og Mandino

... like making bread out of nothing when your other half has raided the stores    ~ me

As I’m writing this, my beloved has started cooking his demon chicken curry.  I wonder when he’ll discover that I’ve used the last of the yoghurt... and the cardamom... and the chillies... J

Pin It

Mardi Gras - the world is your Pancake!!!

Pin It PANCAKE DAY!!!!!  Mardi-Gras-in-the-kitchen day!!!!

Pancakes and crêpes are nothing on their own. Left to their own devices they would never go out. Savoury or sweet, they depend on fillings and dressings to give them a social life.

Though I’m a fiend for maple syrup, sometimes something as simple as a sprinkle of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice is just the thing to make a pancake interesting. However, for a real taste of Carnival, my current favourite is the zingy vanilla orange caramel sauce at the end of this page.  Pour the hot syrup over pancakes or crêpes and feel your taste buds samba! Or perhaps you'd like to try some of my other favourites from the Alchemy archive

Try...

Boxty - traditional Irish potato pancakes, sweet or savoury?

Out of the laundry room and into the frying pan
(the gorgeous bowl and jug are by my aunt, Patricia Casey, artist and potter extraordinaire)

Or perhaps...
Cider and Cinnamon Crêpes - Time to practice your pancake-flipping skills!

Or will you go off-piste altogether and opt for Pączki Tuesday - instead with these gorgeous Polish doughnuts

It's Stomp's fault... (you'll have to read the article to find out why)

If you are going for savoury, you could go gallic with buckwheat galettes

Or try this sensational Vanilla Orange Caramel sauce drizzled over a crepe - which to choose? The world is your pancake!

My choice? Yup! You've guessed it!  And yours? Let me know in the comments below.

Pin It

‘Just because...’ cookies - and Valentine's Day rebooted !

Pin It

If you listen hard you will hear the unromantic din of cash registers chi-chinging all over the world. That’s the sound of big business cashing in on the scurry to live up to romantic expectations - your own, or someone else’s - on February 14th.

Valentine’s Day is quite possibly the least romantic day of the year. If you are someone’s special someone, hopefully you’ll already know it - and show it - in a thousand tiny ways throughout the year. You will be least in need of a day of ersatz romance.

Love is bigger than just romantic love. It’s in the everyday things: in the sticky pre-licked sweet my tiniest niece presses into my hand when I know she really, really, really wants it for herself; it’s in the email/card/text/call that says between the lines “Hey, I was thinking of you”. It’s in making the dinner/walking the dog/cleaning the bathroom/rescuing the laundry from a sudden rain shower without having to be asked. It’s in accepting the irritating imperfections right along with the good qualities that are so much easier to love, whether you are family, friend, or lover.

Since 2011, there has been a move to ‘reboot’ Valentine’s Day as Generosity Day; to make it less ‘cosy couples’ and more egalitarian. At first glance, this smacks of an ‘everyone-gets-a-medal’ race, but why not!  Generosity Day is an opportunity to practice random acts of, well, generosity. It is a day for giving rather than taking.

I’m celebrating February 14th (whatever you want to call it) with my fully customisable ‘Just because...’ cookies. I don’t need any excuse to make them. They can be ... Just because... I wanted to say thanks. Just because... you make me smile... Just because... sometimes you can read my mind. Just because... well... just because!

For 40 - 50  ‘Just because...’ cookies (depending on size) you will need...
... to pre-heat the oven to 160°C

200g butter (at room temperature)

100g icing sugar

1 tablespoon orange zest

250g plain flour

50g cocoa powder, sifted to remove any lumps

a small pinch of fine table salt

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon of boiling water 

To decorate you will need chocolate and sprinkles. I’m not going to be too prescriptive about this bit of the recipe – this is the ‘pimp my cookie’ bit, where you get to customise these cookies for those lucky people who are loved by you, but I’ll tell you what I did. 

1.                  First make the cookies - Place the butter, icing sugar and orange zest in a mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat together until fluffy and lighter in colour.

2.                  Mix together the flour, cocoa powder and salt and add to the butter mixture about a third at a time, beating until well combined. Finally, add the egg yolk and dissolved coffee and mix until the ingredients come together in a ball.

3.                  Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 3mm. Using cookie cutters, cut into shapes – I’ve chosen hearts in a variety of sizes. Any leftovers can be squashed into a ball and re-rolled.

4.                  Place on a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. When the cooking time has elapsed, remove from the oven and leave to cool on the baking tray for about 3 minutes before transferring carefully to a cooling rack. When completely cold, decorate as desired.

Here’s what I did: 

5.                  I melted 100g of good quality white chocolate in a small Ziploc freezer bag by removing all the air, sealing it and putting it in a bowl of hot water. In another Ziploc bag, I placed 50g good quality dark chocolate together with 50g good quality milk chocolate and melted it in the bowl of hot water. This gives a subtle two-tone, two-flavour effect.

6.                  While the chocolate was melting, I prepared a variety of sprinkles: chopped dried sour cherries, chopped dried apricots, chopped toasted hazelnuts, Maldon sea salt crystals. Use your imagination - the world is your sprinkle :)

7.                 When the chocolate had melted, I snipped a tiny corner off each bag, drizzling chocolate directly onto the cookies.

8.                  While the chocolate was still melted I sprinkled my chosen toppings onto the cookies.  

Just because... you deserve a treat!

When the cookies have completely set, make yourself a cuppa and taste-test a couple of these treats before packaging them prettily and distributing them to your loved ones, just because... 

Just because... you are salt of the earth!

Just because... xxx

Pin It