Maple French Toast Sticks – it’s an emergency !

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I’ve always had a vague desire for a swimming pool and on Saturday morning, the gods granted my wish. I should have been more specific with my daydream as the pool was rather inconveniently located in the sitting room.  

 

Two plumbers later, there was a gaping hole in the floor and the need to call out an electrician to fix the cable they’d severed in the hunt for the leaking pipe which they were chasing rather alarmingly with a pneumatic drill. I left them to it and escaped to the supermarket.

Returning home, the car boot popped open and spread half the groceries down the road. Argh! Two girls stopped short of running over my scattered purchases and put their hazard lights on, allowing me to collect up my bits and pieces. The runaway groceries were a little battered and dented but the only real casualties were the beer (which was gushing spectacularly from several cans) and the roasted red peppers which had been destined for great things but which had smashed at the bottom of a bag and subsequently leaked oil all over the inside of the car. Oh you gods are capricious!

Back at the ranch, both water and electricity had been restored and although it was way past breakfast time, it is never too late for brunch. It had to be quick. It had to be easy. It had to make my day a whole lot better.

There was nothing else for it – I needed an emergency batch of Maple French Toast Sticks, and quickly.

Look Inside the preview of Alchemy – a Cookbook on Amazon for this quick, easy, make-your-day-a-whole-lot-better recipe.

And don't forget the icing sugar!
 

 

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Apricot and Almond Scones – easy, lazy, delicious !

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I’m a brunch kinda gal. I’d rather skip breakfast than breakfast in a hurry so my cupboards are usually bare of boxed cereals (unless specifically bought for a recipe). So when my nieces and nephew come for a sleepover, there is usually a mad scramble to find hungry tummies something to eat in the morning. Luckily they are used to this routine by now and know that empty cupboard breakfasts can produce French toast (in about 20 minutes); buttermilk pancakes, (about the same); and that scones, while taking just a bit longer, are a fun hands-on activity, and open to all sorts of flavour customisation: apple... nutella... chocolate chip...

My latest favourite is Apricot and Almond. This mixture is easy, lazy, and delicious. Kids (of all ages) love to get involved in cutting out and glazing.  Guaranteed a big hit with little and large tummies alike.

For 8 or 9 scones you will need...
... to preheat the oven to 200°C

150g plain flour

75g wholemeal flour

50g ground almonds

10g baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine table salt

50g butter, cut into small cubes

100g ready-to-eat dried apricots, very finely chopped

½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)

150mls fresh milk 

To glaze

1 egg, beaten (or a little milk for a less glossy finish)

a little brown or white sugar for sprinkling  

1                    Place the white flour, wholemeal flour, baking powder, ground almonds and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour, lifting and crumbling the mixture between your index and middle fingers and your thumbs, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2                    Add the chopped dried apricots.

3                    Mix the almond extract (if using) with the milk, and pour into the bowl. Mix gently until the ingredients have formed a soft dough and no dry flour remains.

4                    Lightly flour your hands then turn the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead gently to form a ball. Pat the dough out into a round approximately 2cm thick (you could use a rolling pin for a more professional finish but I’ve found that hungry kids don’t much care for perfect symmetry).

5                    Using a 6cm (3”) cutter, stamp out scone shapes from the dough reforming any scraps into a ball and once again patting into a thickness of 2cm. This mixture yields between 8 and 9 scones.

6                    Place the prepared scones on a non-stick baking sheet and brush the tops with beaten egg. Sprinkle each with a pinch of sugar and bake in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes until risen and golden brown.

7                    When cooked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes before serving with butter and jam. Scones are best served the day they are made but generally there are no leftovers so this won’t be a cause for concern J

Note: You could use your food processor for the first 2 steps, using whole almonds for better flavour and simply roughly chop the apricots, letting the processor do most of the work. I prefer to mix in the milk by hand as overworking the dough can make it tough.

It's called the fastest bread in the West because one moment it's there and next it's scone ...

 

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Spanish Omelette – all it’s cracked up to be!

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Almost all you'll need for Spanish Omelette 

Even when it seems that tumbleweed is the sole occupant of the kitchen, there’s bound to be a few potatoes and an onion or two lurking in the vegetable basket, and a clutch of eggs in the door of the fridge. That is all you really need to make a sublime and filling dish that wouldn’t be ashamed to grace the trendiest of tapas bars. Spanish Omelette is a wonderful dish to magic from a seemingly empty kitchen to the delight of unexpected and hungry guests. Cut it into slices and serve hot, warm or cold with a green salad or cut into cubes to serve with drinks. A mandoline cutter is useful for slicing the potatoes into uniformly thin slices though sometimes I prefer the chunkier texture of diced potatoes in this dish – whatever you’re having yourself!

For 1 omelette serving 3 – 4 people for lunch/supper you will need:

4 tablespoons olive oil

600g potatoes, sliced or diced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 large eggs, preferably free-range

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan about 22cm in diameter. Meanwhile dry the potatoes in a clean tea-towel. Add to the hot oil along with the chopped onion and crushed garlic. Stir until the vegetables are glistening with hot oil then turn down the heat, cover and cook gently without allowing them to brown for about 20 minutes or until the potato is easily pierced with a fork.

2. Break the eggs into a large bowl, and stir with a fork until the whites and yolks are just combined. Add the salt and a little black pepper. Add in the contents of the frying pan and stir until the potatoes are completely covered with egg. Pour the mixture back into the frying pan and continue to cook gently until the surface of the omelette is beginning to set. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

3. Using a spatula or an egg slice, loosen the omelette around the edges. Cover the frying pan with a large plate, then carefully invert. Slide the inverted omelette back into the pan and continue cooking gently for a further 5 minutes or so.

That’s it – Alchemy performed!

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