Chocolate Muffins

It seems that winter is determined to linger on, so while the snow whirls around outside, some comfort baking is in order methinks.  Although I don't know who I'm trying to kid, it's not as if I stop when the warmer weather comes!
These muffins are fab, really quick and easy to throw together.  I've used white chocolate this time but often use milk or dark chocolate, sometimes fruit too...cherries are particularly good.

Makes 12 large muffins

Ingredients

75ml Milk

125ml Sunflower Oil

2 Large Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

175g Self Raising Flour

50g Cocoa

1/2 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

175g Caster Sugar

150g White Chocolate, roughly chopped

• Preheat the oven to 200C and fill a muffin tin with paper cases.
• Mix the milk, oil, eggs and vanilla extract together in a measuring jug.
• In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients including the chocolate.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry then lightly mix until just combined.
• Spoon into the paper cases and bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until risen with a glossy top.
• Eat on the day you make them.

Mushroom, Leek and Goat's Cheese Gratin

This was originally inspired by a recipe that my sister found in a vegetarian cookbook years ago.  I have made it many times, with and without the goat's cheese.  
It's wonderful as a meal in itself served with some crisp green veg, I also love it as an accompaniment with a roast.

Ingredients

3 Large Leeks, sliced and washed

500g Mushrooms (a mixture of Portobello and Chestnut is good), in chunky slices

25g Butter

2 cloves Garlic, minced

75ml White Wine

Salt and Black Pepper

Pinch of Fresh Thyme leaves (Tarragon also works well)

125ml DoubleCream

Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Juice

100g Rinded Mild Goats Cheese, cut into small pieces

For the Gratin

100g Fresh Breadcrumbs

25g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the garlic, sizzle for a minute then tip in the leeks and mushrooms.  Pour in the white wine and cook, uncovered on a medium heat for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid is reduced to a syrupy consistency (there will be quite a lot when all the water comes out of the mushrooms).
• Season with salt and black pepper then pour in the cream, stir and bring back to a gentle boil.  Add the herbs and a good squeeze of lemon, stir then check for seasoning, add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if needed.  Spoon this into an ovenproof dish and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 175C.
• To make the topping combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a bowl.  Season with salt and pepper then add the olive oil, mix thoroughly with a fork until you have a slightly clumpy, light crumbly mixture.
• Nestle the pieces of goats cheese evenly within the mushroom and leek filling then sprinkle the gratin mixture over the top.
• Cook in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until the topping is golden brown and crispy with the filling bubbling around the edges. 

Lamb Steaks with Shallots, Rosemary and Red Wine

This is a simple recipe and my absolute favourite way to cook lamb.  The light sauce allows the wonderful, delicate flavour of the lamb to shine through.  

The quantities can easily been increased or decreased as needed.

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Lamb Leg Steaks

2-3 Shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

approx. 10 Rosemary leaves, chopped very small

Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper

A large glass of Red Wine

1 teaspoon Redcurrent Jelly 

• Lightly coat the leg steaks with oil and season with black pepper.
• Heat a large frying or griddle pan on a medium heat until hot.
• Season the lamb steaks with a sprinkling of salt and put straight into the hot pan. 
• Cook for 3-5 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the steaks and how well cooked you like them.
• Remove them to a warm plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Tip the shallots and rosemary into the hot pan and sizzle for a few minutes to soften, moving them around so they don’t burn.  Pour in the red wine and let this bubble vigorously until it is reduced by about half, add the redcurrent jelly and let it melt in whilst stirring.
• To finish, return the lamb steaks to the pan to heat through again, with any juices that have collected.  Turn them over in the syrupy sauce then serve, pouring a little shallot sauce over each steak.

Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

These are beautiful muffins, I really urge you to try them, they are quick to make and light, fluffy and moist.  The addition of vanilla and a crunchy crumble topping perfectly compliments the tart, tender rhubarb.

Incidentally, cooking the rhubarb in the oven is, in my opinion, the best way.  The pieces of rhubarb keep their shape rather than going to mush like they do in a pan.

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients

400g Rhubarb

150g Caster Sugar

250g Self-Raising Flour

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

Pinch of Salt

200g Caster Sugar

100ml Natural Yoghurt

2 Large Eggs

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

100g Butter, melted

For the Crumble

50g Self-Raising

25g Butter

25g Caster Sugar

• Preheat the oven to 175C.  Cut the rhubarb into small pieces, rinse them in a colander then tip them into a roasting tin.  Spread the rhubarb out so it is in a single layer then sprinkle with the caster sugar and put in the oven for 30 minutes.  After this time the rhubarb should be meltingly tender and surrounded with sweet yet tart syrup.  Spoon the rhubarb with its syrup into a bowl to cool and set aside until needed.
• Line a muffin tin with paper cases.
• Make the crumble topping by putting the flour, butter and sugar into a small bowl and mixing the butter in with a fork until you have a rough crumble, set aside until needed.
• In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar.
• In a separate bowl or jug mix the natural yoghurt with the eggs, vanilla extract and the melted butter.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl and mix quickly but thoroughly until combined.  Then tip the rhubarb and syrup into the mixture and fold through.
• Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases then sprinkle a heaped teaspoon of the crumble over each one.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until they are risen and golden brown.
• They are best eaten on the day they are made but are still good the day after, if there are any left!

Baked Lemon and Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake

Oh this is good...so good in fact that I had it for breakfast this morning!
This is not at all dense like some bought baked cheesecakes can be, it is soft, creamy, mousse-like and totally delicious.  Make it the day before you need it as it needs a long time to chill in the fridge.

Easily serves 12 people
Ingredients

200g Digestive Biscuits

100g Butter

600g Cream Cheese

200ml Double Cream

4 Large Eggs

200g Caster Sugar

Zest and Juice of 1 Lemon
For the swirl

150g Raspberries

50g Caster Sugar

2 teaspoons Cornflour

• Preheat the oven to 150C and line the base of a spring form tin (approx. 20cm diameter) with a circle of baking/greaseproof paper (this makes it so much easier to get the cheesecake out of the tin).
• Bash or blitz the biscuits into crumbs then mix the melted butter in thoroughly.  Tip this into the tin and press it in evenly across the base.  Set aside.
• To make the filling beat the cream cheese with the sugar, lemon zest and juice.  Whisk in the cream and eggs until smooth.  Pour the mixture over the base then put it in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
• During this time tip the raspberries into a small pan and add the sugar and cornflour.  Heat slowly until the raspberries are juicy, boiling and thickened by the cornflour.  Pour through a sieve into a bowl or jug.
• After the cheesecake has had 30 minutes baking take it out of the oven and spoon the thickened raspberry coulis in swirls on the top.
• Put it back in the oven for 15 minutes then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven until cool.  Transfer it to the fridge, it may still have a bit of a wobble until it is completely chilled.  Ideally let it chill overnight.
• To remove it from the tin, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and take the outer ring off.  The base of the tin should then come away quite easily with a bit of persuasion with a spatula, it can then be slid onto a plate while you peel the baking paper off.

Pecan and White Chocolate Blondies

I have struggled with the concept of blondies for a while now, thinking of them as a rather sickly alternative to brownies.  However, I was messing around with my cookie recipe recently and realised that I had effectively made blondies...and they went down very well!  A bit more fiddling with quantities and here they are, if you think of them as a chewy, gooey chunk of vanilla cookie you're on the right track.

Makes about 20 small blondies

Ingredients

150g Butter

175g Caster Sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg

2 tablespoons Golden Syrup

200g Plain Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

150g White Chocolate, roughly chopped

75g Pecans, roughly chopped

• Preheat the oven to 175C and fully line a brownie tin or deep swiss roll tin (mine is 30x18cm) with baking/greaseproof paper.
• With a wooden spoon beat the butter and sugar together with the vanilla extract and the golden syrup.  Add the egg and mix it in, it may curdle slightly at this point.
• Tip in the flour and baking powder and mix it until it is all combined into a stiff mixture.
• Mix in the white chocolate and pecans until fully incorporated.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until it's risen and golden brown at the edges, puffy but still a bit wobbly in the middle.  
• Allow it to cool almost fully in the tin until it has firmed up enough to take it out by the paper and put it on a board.  Leave it until it is totally cool then cut into pieces.

Curried Lentil Soup

I make this soup often and freeze it in lunch-sized portions.  It's cheap, healthy and, most importantly, very tasty and nourishing.  

You can leave the coconut milk out if you prefer and increase the amount of stock, and if you like it hot, up the spice level and add some chilli!

Ingredients

2 Brown Onions, peeled and finely diced

Olive Oil

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Curry Powder

Salt and Black Pepper

250g Red Lentils

1 medium-sized Potato, peeled and cubed

1 litre Chicken or Vegetable Stock

1 x 400ml Tin of Light Coconut Milk

• Sizzle the onion in a small amount of olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat with a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper.  When the onion is starting to soften add the curry powder, potato and garlic.
• Cook for a minute or two more then tip in the lentils.  Stir to combine then pour in the stock and the coconut milk.
• Give it a stir, scraping the bottom of the pan then bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked and the cubes of potato are soft.
• Stir and mash through the soup with a potato masher, squashing all the cubes of potato.
• Taste the soup to check the seasoning, add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve with a blob of natural yoghurt stirred in.