Beef and Apricot (Crockpot) Stew

I'm not exactly sure where this recipe came from.  I've scribbled it down - in Danish - on a scrap of paper, so it's probably an idea I got from my DMIL (dear - departed - Danish Mother-in-Law) who was a great cook.

You'll need:

• 500g of beef, cubed (remember to use a cheap cut if you're using the crockpot)
• a little butter or oil for frying
• one, two or three onions (recipe said three, but decide yourself)
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 dl/200 ml pouring cream
• tin of apricots and a little of their juice

The stew can be made on the top of the stove and finished off in the oven, but I decided to try it in the crockpot.  Because I love that 'superwoman' feeling it gives, knowing that dinner is done and dusted early in the day! :)

Brown the beef in a little butter or oil and do the same with the onions.  Or you could take the easy way out and throw the whole lot in the crockpot - thus saving time and making it fat-free... :)

Then all you have to do is tip in the apricots, soy sauce, cream, lots of freshly ground pepper and some (sea) salt.  If you want to bump up the flavour, go ahead and add ½ to a whole beef stockcube.  Put on the lid and cook in the crock on low for about 6 hours, on high for about 4 hours, or simmer on the top of the stove for 15-30 minutes.

The verdict?  I thought the (yummy) sauce was a tad runny so added some cornflour and cooked it on high for the last 15 minutes.  We ate it with couscous (though it would be great with mashed potatoes or tagliatelle) and the whole family enjoyed it.  A keeper!

Bon appétit!

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

I'm terribly behind with the recipes I've been 'decluttering' for my this blog.  But I'm going to do as the Flylady says - and just jump in where I am. So be prepared for a deluge of posts! :D

This recipe came via my sweetie online Flybaby friend Pam. She got the recipe from JoyofBaking.com but I've - of course - made my own shortcut version. Because I always 'springe over hvor gærdet er lavest' (jump over the fence where it's lowest) as they so neatly say in Danish! ;D

You'll need:

• 225g or 2 sticks butter
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 135g or 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 300g or 2 1/3 cups plain flour
• one teaspoon of vanilla extract (I used vanilla sugar)
• 130g or 1 cup unsalted pistachios, chopped
• 150g or 1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Put the butter, salt and sugar in your kitchen mixer and let her rip. Stop the motor when it's combined, add the flour and let her rip again.

Once the flour is mixed in, add the pistachios and cranberries and let her rip. Again!

Roll the mixture into 'squarish' logs - I used greaseproof paper and made four logs.

I put one log in the fridge to harden and froze the others to use over Christmas. And lookie here, I even remembered to write on the date and baking instructions - woop, woop! :)

The really pretty part comes when you cut the logs into thin slices, ready for baking. Aren't these adorable?!

Bake at 160c or 325f for about 10-15mins. The original recipe said 15-20mins, but I find they cook pretty fast and you do NOT want these to be brown around the edges...just pale yellow and cooked through. Leave to cool and then...attack!

And the verdict? DH said, "Wow, these are really good." We're on to a winner, methinks. Thank you, Pam!

Bon appétit!

I'm off right now to get the very last log out of the freezer because my bff is coming over for coffee later. Have a terrific Tuesday! :)

Gipsy Tart

Here's a recipe that I've written down on the back of an envelope.  The envelope was posted on 31 August 1999, with a French stamp that says "C'est une fille" (It's a girl), so it must have contained a baby announcement! :)

So the recipe has been in my collection for a good number of years...just waiting for me to try it out.  I think I probably jotted it down while watching a food programme on BBC Prime (British telly programmes broadcast around the globe) when we first moved to Denmark.

The directions were sparse (that means it was going to be easy to make it, right?) and - bonus - it only had 3 ingredients:

• pre-prepared flan base
• 10 oz or 280g muscovado (dark brown, soft sugar)
• one large can of evaporated milk (396g, 14 oz)

Very easy to make apparently.  So what could go wrong?  [famous last words...]

Beat the evaporated milk and the sugar together for at least 10 minutes until it's turned thick and foamy.  I decided it was best to enlist the help of DD9...

And then DS11 took over for a bit...

And then I poured it in to our prebaked flan case.  Here it is - ready for the oven - 200 c or 400 f for just 10 minutes.

At this point, I should have seen the danger signs!  ;D  It seemed to be that there was an awful lot of 'cream' in the flan case.  And it was still very wobbly after 10 minutes of cooking (though it was supposed to set while cooling).

So I decided to put it back in for another 15 minutes on a lower heat, so as not to brown the pastry crust too much.  But - alas, alack - it just wasn't happening...  Here's what we ended up with.  A gooey mess!

The verdict?  It looked awful, was impossible to cut and tasted of sugar.  Would I attempt it again?  Hmm, only if I did lots of googling of the recipe first.  Oh well, at least I can safely throw away the recipe.  Hooray to getting rid of more paper clutter! ;D

Sonja's Leek Tart

This is a recipe I found in my Dear-Departed-Danish-Mother-in-Law's recipe folder.

You'll need:

• a quiche or pie crust (I used a wholemeal readymade box...fast and easy)
• a couple of leeks
• 3 eggs
• a small tub of crème fraîche
• a packet of bacon
• grated cheese

I forgot to put the eggs in the photo...duh! ;D

Wash and slice the leeks finely and fry them in a little oil or butter.

Meanwhile make up your quiche or pie dough and pat it into place in your dish.  I never bother rolling out these days...life is too short! 

Place the leeks in the dish.  Mix the eggs with the crème fraîche and plenty of salt and pepper and pour the mixture on top of the leeks.  Top with pieces of bacon (I use scissors) and a sprinkling of cheese.

Bake at 200c (400f) for about 30 minutes.  Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before digging in.  Unfortunately, we dug in so fast, that I forgot to get a snap for the blog...so here's the last piece, which I enjoyed - cold - with a cup of tea as my 'elevenses' today :)



The verdict?  This was very simple, only used a few ingredients and was quick to put together mid-week.  And my DH (dear husband) was delighted to come home to a house smelling of bacon! ;D

Bon appétit!

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Here we are - another recipe from "The Brownie" magazine.  This time it's from 22 February 1978...so I've been hanging on to it since I was 10 years old! ;D

You'll need:

• a small can of pineapple chunks
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 2 teaspoons of brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 level tablespoon of cornflour
• ½ cup cold water

Put everything into a saucepan, except for the cornflour and water.  Bring to the boil.

Mix the cornflour and water, then add to the sauce and stir until thickened - it only takes a minute.  We were having pork chops that night, so I browned the chops, poured the sauce on top and then put the whole thing in the oven to finish off.

And served it up for the family with carrots, beansprouts and noodles.

The verdict?  It was actually pretty good.  And, of course, exceptionally easy because it was a girl scout recipe... ;D  If I made it again, I'd definitely add some ginger or chili flakes in order to give it more of a kick.

Bon appétit! :)

Weetabix Cake

This recipe for Weetabix Cake....

...comes from the back of a calender from 1996.  And a very useful calendar it was too! :)  The 'pictures' on the calendar could be torn off and used as postcards.  And on the back of each 'month' there was a recipe.  My old boss at the European Court of Justice, Sir David Edward, always brought us back souvenirs from his trips and this calendar was a gift was from the Isle of Lewis (where he always used to spend his holidays). 

You'll need:

• 3 weetabix biscuits
• 7 oz or 175g sultanas
• 7 oz or 175g soft dark brown sugar
• ½ pint, 250ml or 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 8 oz or 200g self-raising flour (or plain flour plus 1½ teaspoons baking powder)

Put the weetabix, sultanas and sugar in a bowl. 

Pour over the milk and leave to steep overnight in a cool place (I was, as usual, impatient and left if for an hour).

Add the egg and flour and mix well.

Attractive?  I think not... ;D

Pour into a greased loaf tin (I always use baking paper - much easier to get things out, plus less clean up afterwards, spilling as much as you can over the sides...

Then bake for about one hour in a 'moderate' oven.  Which I guessed to be around 350f or 175c.

The verdict?  Hmmmm, it's quite similar to an All Bran muffin recipe I make regularly.  But this cake, although the flavour was good, turned out really heavy and stodgy.  So - after keeping it in my pile of recipes that I might use for 15 years - this recipe can finally go to its resting place in the recycling bin...  Hooray - the very first recipe I'm able to throw away! ;D

Custard Creams

Here's a funny little recipe written on a little scrap of paper for "Custard Creams" (which, in this instance, is a type of shortbread).  I don't think it's my Mum's handwriting, but it could be my Granny's (I'll have to check with Mum when I see her at Christmas). :)

You'll need:

• 6 ozs (150g) margarine
• 2 ozs (50g) sugar
• 6 ozs (150g) plain flour
• 2 ozs (50g) custard powder (just use more flour if you don't have custard handy)

Cream the fat and sugar together (I used a fork).

Then mix in the flour and custard powder.

Don't mix it too much, just enough until it sticks together and looks like playdough.  (If you over mix it, it'll get all gooey and sticky).  Take small spoonfuls and roll small balls...

Place them on to a baking sheet lined with paper and use a fork to push the balls down flat.

Bake in the oven at 375f or 175c for about 12-15 minutes.  (You want them very pale - not golden or brown.)

Time for clean up.   Which was so fast, that I also had time to do my Flylady mission of the day which (yesterday, Thursday) was wiping down my kitchen counter! :)

The verdict?  Absolutely delicious!  But then again - what's not to like about shortbread biscuits - full of yummy fats?!  Though I don't think I'll bother with the custard powder next time, as I couldn't taste it at all.  (Perhaps because I used instant custard powder?)  And would probably go with butter instead of margarine.  They disappeared faster than snow off a dyke - so I'm glad I had the forethought to freeze half the dough, so we can have them again as a treat next week... :)

Bon appétit!