Cherry Cobbler.

I have been a cook for a long time now , but my baking skills have always been somewhat limited and I still have a lot to learn. So every time I try a new baking recipe and it works, I get very excited. It was just the same with this cherry cobbler recipe, I have been thinking for a while about making it, it was only a matter of finding a suitable recipe, the best one came from BBC-food website. Naturally, I slightly modified it , to suit my kitchen. As for the flavour , I used frozen cherries, by all means use any fruit or berry of your choice. On some american sites the recipes call for simple tinned fruit, so it could be as easy as that. The most delicious part of this pudding is the scone like topping, so keep an eye on it when baking , don't let it get too brown, it will dry out in that case, just cover it loosely with foil if that happens. This recipe is for 6 people, serve with vanilla or clotted cream ice-cream or cream.
For the cherry filling:
700 gr frozen cherries (slightly thawed)
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tsp corn starch
35 gr dark brown sugar
a splash of rum (optional)
Put the cherries, lemon juice, sugar and rum into a saucepan , bring to the boil on a very low heat, during this the cherries will release the juice , set 1/4 cup of cherry juice aside.Simmer the cherries for about 10 min., mix the corn starch well with the cold juice and add it to the pot. Stir well, and watch the filling getting thicker (feel free to add more corn starch if the mixture is still rather runny). When this is done, pour the filling in the ovenproof dish and set aside.
For the cobbler filling:
230 gr self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
75 gr cold butter, cubed
100 gr caster sugar
100 ml milk
1 egg
1 tbsp of soft brown sugar(for sprinkling the top)
Preheat the oven gas mark 5/190C.
Put all the dry ingredients and the butter into a bowl of a food processor and using a blade setting whizz it all until it resembles fine breadcrums.

In a separate bowl mix the egg and milk well.

Add the mixture to the other ingredients and mix well.

That's it , the topping is ready. Now , using an ice-cream serving spoon, spoon the dough on top of the cherry filling, leaving a little space between the spoonfuls.Sprinkle the soft brown sugar over the cobbler.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes , check after 15 min. When it turns golden , check it with a toothpick, it's ready when the stick comes out clean.Allow to stand for 10 min., serve when still warm.

 Enjoy!

Easy Lamb Stew.

Very, very easy. Put it together at the lunchtime , pop in the oven on very low for 3-4 hours, and just bake some potatoes or cook some rice to serve it with. This quantity serves 2 hungry adults!
300 gr stewing lamb
1 onion
1 carrot
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp paprika
salt to taste
4-6 black peppercorns
a splash of olive oil
Preheat your oven gas mark2/150C.
Oil the pan, grate the carrot , put the grated carrot in the pan, cube the meat and place it on the carrots, season with salt, place the peppercorns around the meat. Chop the onion and put it on top of the meat.

Sprinkle paprika over the onion, open the tomato tin and just pour it out on top of onion. Don't worry about mixing it, just cover and cook in the oven for a long time! So you can get on with your busy day and still have a nice dinner in the evening!

I would normally check the stew now and then, if the meat is ready earlier then anticipated , just switch off and reheat before serving. Also feel free to freeze or make it a day or two before , it tastes lovely later!

Enjoy!

Buckwheat with Mushrooms and Leeks.

It does not get any more russian then this recipe. Buckwheat is a staple grain in russian cuisine, this is what we call kasha. Actually kasha is a collective name for any kind of cooked grain, but the buckwheat is the best of all. It's a fantastic alternative for rice, but , I believe, much healthier. I used to bring it from Russia, every time I visited my parents, well, now it's available in UK , check the deli shops or look it up on the internet, it's super cheap as well. As for the health benefits, my mother used to encourage me to eat my kasha , telling me that this is what  professional ballerinas eat. This was good enough for me! To this day, I have not checked this theory, as I don't actually know any professional russian ballerinas , although something tells me they probably don't use much butter in their recipe! There are two kinds of buckwheat: raw and toasted, both are fine, the only slight difference is that the toasted one is a bit "nuttier" to taste.
This recipe is great as a side dish for any kind of meat or fish, just don't forget sauce or gravy. For vegetarians I would recommend to pair it with ratatouille, simply delicious together!
This recipe is for two people.
1 mug of buckwheat
1 mug just boiled water
2 portobello mushrooms (you can use any kind of mushrooms, wild ones are the best)
1 medium leek
a splash of vegetable oil
a knob of butter
salt and pepper to taste
some chopped parsley

Wash the buckwheat under the running water, put the kettle on.

Pour the boiling water over the buckwheat.

You can boil it, but I prefer to cover it and wrap it with a towel and leave it for half an hour or so.

Drain all the extra liquid , if needed, set aside.

Heat up the oil in the pan, chop the mushrooms and the leek and saute them, until almost ready.

Stir in the buckwheat,the parsley and the butter.

Heat right through, season to taste and serve.

Enjoy!

Cupcake Baking and Decorating Class with Angel Food Bakery.

I have to share a little story first: a few years ago I came across a tiny cupcake shop in the heart of Brighton, it was a small shop with just a couple of chairs and a counter.The cupcakes were just coming into fashion then and a lot of bakeries were doing them, but the Angel Food Bakery ones stood out, due to the wonderful flavours and the consistent quality. My 30th Birthday cake was indeed a massive Red Velvet cupcake with a couple of dozen regular cupcakes around it, my family and friends had it ordered at the Angel Food , knowing my love for Red Velvet! Fast forward a number of years and the bakery is still going strong and now they have expanded and sharing the cupcake knowledge with those who are wanting to learn a few tips! Naturally, I booked a class to attend , even better , the class took place on the eve of my husband's birthday! I got to make a dozen cupcakes: six vanilla and six chocolate ones. The decorating part was my favourite, I let my flamboyant side to take over completely ! I will not give a cupcake recipe here, as it a rather straightforward  one, and I already have a chocolate cupcake recipe on here. However, there are a few useful points I'd like to share with you.
Here we go:
Don't overbeat the mixture, if too much air gets in , the surface of a cupcake will not be smooth.It will be a bit trickier to decorate.

When we were making the chocolate ones the recipe called for a raising agent , not only a baking powder but also a pinch of baking soda were used. 

 Make sure to use to use proper small cupcake cases, and only fill up 3/4, as they will raise. We don't want muffin tops!

Moving on to the icing, I was responsible for a buttercream icing. Make sure that butter is super soft, and remember to sift the icing sugar.

When the time came to choose the colour for my icing, of course, I chose pink! I will be honest here, it was my first experience with food colouring, and as you can see it was a fun one!

 Another mistake that I've been making is not allowing the cupcakes to cool down on the rack , I was leaving them in the oven, that might make them a bit too dry.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the cupcakes and will have loads of fun making them yourselves!