The Runaway Bridesmaid (27 page)

Ingredients

200g self-raising flour, sieved

25g corn flour, sieved

1 tsp baking powder

50g caster sugar

55g butter – cold, cut into cubes

75g glacé cherries, quartered

100ml milk

1 tsp almond essence

1 egg

A pinch of salt

Instructions

Put flours, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub with fingertips until fine breadcrumbs. Add the cherries. Beat the egg with the milk and the almond essence and stir into the bowl using a palette knife. Bring the mixture to a ball gently, taking care not to overwork. Turn onto a floured surface, roll 3cm thick and stamp out rounds with a fluted cutter. Press the trimmings together and repeat. Set on a buttered baking tray and lightly brush with the remaining egg mixture. Bake in a pre-heated oven, Gas Mark 6 until golden brown – approximately 12-15 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Lavender Macaroons for Lazy Afternoons

Of course you will know, Rosie, that lavender is my favourite plant as it grows in profusion in all four corners of my garden and graces every vase in my home. Lavender has been used for centuries as a herbal remedy to reduce stress and anxiety, and as an aid to insomnia which I know bites at your heels. So please fill the cottage with sprigs of my beloved lavender and maybe jump off the treadmill of life to relax and try out this recipe before taking a seat under the cherry tree to smell those beautiful flowers you and your mother were named after.

Ingredients

For the shells:

150g ground almonds

125g caster sugar

50g lavender sugar

2 medium-sized egg whites, pinch of cream of tartar, purple food gel

Pinch of dried lavender buds to decorate

For the buttercream:

50g butter, softened

100g icing sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon of Earl Grey tea infused with crushed lavender leaves

Instructions

Whisk the egg white in a grease-free bowl until stiff peaks. Add the caster sugar, ground almonds, cream of tartar and a drop of purple gel, using a metal spoon to fold the ingredients together. Pipe the mixture onto greaseproof paper into rounds 5cm across. Bake for 20 minutes (gas mark 2). Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes and then place on a wire rack.

Beat the butter until fluffy, add the icing sugar and mix. Dribble in the tea – be careful not to use too much as it can be overpowering. When the macaroons are cool, spread the shells with buttercream and sandwich another one on the top. Sprinkle with fresh lavender petals.

Home-made lavender sugar is easy to make and I always have a jar handy. Wrap a tablespoon of fresh lavender flowers in muslin and tie securely. Place into a sealed glass jar with 500g of caster sugar. Shake daily and after a week the lavender aroma will have permeated the sugar. Discard the muslin bag and the sugar is ready for use. Lovely.

Sweet Basil Biscuits for New Love Interests

One of the meanings of the herb basil is love and I know we can all do with an extra sprinkle of that in our lives! It is written in some folklore that a young man who accepts sweet basil from a woman will fall in love with her. I love that story so I had to include this recipe for you, Rosie, especially as I have grown basil in my garden since I bought the Lodge. Be careful who you select as a sampler, darling! We wouldn’t want to tempt the fates, would we?

Ingredients

100g butter

50g caster sugar

50g ground almonds

100g plain flour, sieved

Large bunch of basil, washed and chopped

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy, add the ground almonds and mix. Fold in the flour and knead. Roll in the basil until the mixture resembles a speckled green sausage 10-12 cm wide. Cut into biscuits approx. 1 cm think and place on a greased baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden (Gas Mark 6, 200°C). Cool on a wire rack.

Lemon Meringue Pies for Sun-filled Skies

These little pies are filled with sunshine! I can’t make a batch without smiling at the zinging yellow filling that never fails to brighten up the day. And the lemons themselves are packed with many nourishing vitamins and antioxidants that are very good for you. Who can resist the indulgence of a jug of freshly squeezed lemonade in the summer sunshine? My mouth is watering just think of it. And don’t they say lemons repel mosquitoes, too? But even in the rain these delicious pastries will bring a tingle to your tongue. Why not bake a batch, Rosie, and smile?

Ingredients

For the pastry:

175g plain flour

25g icing sugar

100g butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1 egg yolk, free-range

2 teaspoons cold water

For the filling:

Zest and juice of 3 unwaxed lemons

75g unsalted butter

240g white caster sugar

6 eggs, 3 separated

Few drops of malt vinegar

Instructions

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a large bowl and stir in the butter. Rub the butter into the flour until fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with the water and stir a little on the mixture until it comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and mould into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge.

Put the zest, juice, butter and 165g of sugar in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat slowly until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Beat the eggs then add to the pan, stirring continuously until thickened. Sieve to remove the peel.

Remove the sweet pastry from the fridge and roll. Cut into circles to fit your deep muffin tray and press into each hole. Place a circle of baking parchment into the bottom of each pastry case and sprinkle on baking beans. Bake them for 7-8 minutes (gas mark 6/ 200°C) until lightly golden at the edges, remove them from the oven, remove the parchment and return to the oven for 10 minutes until golden and cooked through. Take them out of the oven and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

Whisk the remaining 3 egg whites with half the sugar in a grease-free bowl until stiff peaks form. Add the vinegar then slowly whisk in the rest of the sugar. Spoon the lemony filling into the pastry cases. Put a good dollop of meringue on each pie, forming little peaks.

Bake until the peaks are tinged brown - around 15 minutes (gas mark 5/190°C). Cool and enjoy. Any remaining lemon filling can be refrigerated and enjoyed on wholemeal toast for breakfast on the decking the next day!

Focaccia and Olive Oil to help ease the Turmoil

Oregano means ‘mountain joy’. How lovely! The herb is also said to contain a rich source of iron and fibre and vitamin K. But, Rosie my darling, for this recipe to be successful you need to knead! Concentrating on the rhythmic, repetitive massage of the dough redirects the thought processes and takes your mind off the turmoil.

Ingredients

200g organic whole wheat flour

200g organic strong white flour

1 tspn of dried, easy-bake yeast

1 tspn sugar

½ tspn coarse sea salt

2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsps of fresh oregano, washed & coarsely chopped

280ml of tepid water

Instructions

Place the flours, sugar, salt, and half the oregano leaves into a slightly warmed mixing bowl and combine with your hands. Place the yeast in a bowl with a little of the tepid water and leave for five minutes to soften. Make a well in the flour and mix in the yeast and olive oil. Gradually add the rest of the tepid water until a sticky dough is formed. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic when stretched and no longer sticks to your hands.

Place the dough in a bowl wiped with olive oil and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for one and a half hours to allow the dough to rise. Knock back, remove the dough and knead gently for a further two minutes. Leave to rest for ten minutes. Shape the dough into a rectangle on an oiled baking sheet, cover with a tea towel and allow to rise again for thirty minutes. The dough should have doubled in size.

Create a dimpled effect on the surface by pushing fingertips into the surface of the dough. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with remaining oregano leaves and sea salt. Bake in a pre-heated oven, Gas Mark 7, for thirty minutes until the top is crusty and golden.

Serve warm with your favourite pasta.

Fig Delights for Passion-Filled Nights

It will come as no surprise to you I’m sure, Rosie, that figs have been associated with passion for centuries. In certain cultures the fig is the symbol of fertility. They are even credited with possessing aphrodisiac qualities by some. I suppose it must be their voluptuous shape, but I adore their rich, sweet taste and their sticky succulent texture. It is difficult to get fresh figs, but dried figs are fine - in fact they contain the Omega essential fatty acids so beneficial to health. I’ll let you into a little secret, Rosie. Emily swears by them! Tread carefully!

Ingredients

75g butter, softened

75g soft brown sugar

75g caster sugar

1 egg

175g organic plain flour

½ tspn baking powder

1 tspn vanilla essence

75g dried figs diced

75g milk chocolate drops

Instructions

Beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Break the egg into a cup and add the vanilla essence, beat with a fork. Add the eggy mixture to the mix, a little at a time until blended. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and fold in. Add the diced figs and half the chocolate drops and stir. Put a heaped teaspoon of the mixture onto a greased baking tray, pushing down with the back of a fork and sprinkle with the remaining drops. Bake for ten minutes (gas Mark 4, 180degC) until golden. Remove from oven, allow to cool and then transfer to a wire rack.

Oat and Honey Cakes for Self-inflicted Headaches

Oats are a morning staple. A bowl of porridge doused in honey is one of my favourite breakfasts. But oats are packed with fibre, vitamins and nutrients that can help ease the pain of a night of over-indulgence. They are said to line the stomach and regulate blood sugar levels. Give these little crunchy cakes a try and you will be as right as rain.

Ingredients

75g plain flour, sifted

75g porridge oats

75g soft brown sugar

75g butter

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 heaped tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Place the flour, baking powder, oats, cinnamon and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Melt the butter and the honey slowly in a pan. Add the milk and then the dry ingredients and mix. Roll into balls the size of golf balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Press down gently with back of a fork. Bake until golden brown - 15minutes (gas mark 4, 180°C). Remove from oven, leave to cool and then transfer to a wire rack.

Apple Pies for Sad Goodbyes

Apples appear in abundance in the Thornleigh Lodge garden in autumn and I have many, many recipes that take full advantage of their bounty. But I thought you would enjoy a classic recipe handed down from your great-grandmother, Edith Marshall; a homely, comforting apple pie for when nothing but a cosy, nostalgic bake will do to keep out the sadness of friends moving on to pastures new. Remember Rosie, as I have often said, it is better to have loved and lost than never to have entered the kitchen.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

150g butter, softened

50g caster sugar

250g plain flour, sifted

6 tsps cold water

A pinch of salt

For the filling:

1kg Bramley apples

150g caster sugar

¼ tsp of cinnamon

Instructions

Make a batch of sweet pastry and chill. Quarter, core and peel the apples, then slice into segments. Pat with a tea towel to soak up the juices. Remove the pastry, cut off a third for the lid. Roll out the rest on a floured surface and line a pie dish around 20cm in diameter, 5cm deep. Tip the apples into a bowl and coat with the sugar and cinnamon, using your fingertips. Pile into the lined tin. Roll out a lid with the remaining pastry, wet the lip and seal with even pinches. Brush the lid with a little egg and sprinkle with caster sugar. Gently cut the lid with scissors in three places to allow the steam to escape. Bake on a baking sheet for 45 minutes until golden (Gas Mark 5, 190°C). Remove and allow to cool. For the ultimate effect, serve with home-made custard.