Friday, August 1, 2014

How to Make a Classic Bacon Butty

This classic British sandwich is mobile breakfast fare at its finest, often served out of a food van at car boot sales, weekend markets and school sporting events. The bacon butty is simple deliciousness: Crispy back bacon, piled high on a bread roll and topped with lashings of brown sauce.The best ones come with heaps of bacon.



In the spirit of bacon making everything better, even hotter-than the hinges-of-the-gates-of-hell August in Dubai, I’ve joined a great group of bloggers for a month of bacon recipes! Organized by Julie of White Lights on Wednesday,  this second annual Bacon Month will include bacon-centric recipes, both sweet and savory.

But, meanwhile, I couldn’t make a Bacon Month announcement without sharing some bacon goodness. I had my first bacon butty in Aberdeen many years ago, while visiting some dear friends from our Brazil years. It was an early Sunday morning and as we arrived at the Thainstone Market, the excitement of the treasure hunt was in the air, along with the fabulous aroma of frying bacon. I have never had a bacon butty to match that one, although I’ve been trying to ever since. A floury bun filled with bacon is the best!

Ingredients
Olive oil
5-6 slices back bacon
1 floury round roll, halved
Butter (optional)
1-2 tablespoons HP or other brown sauce

Method
Drizzle a little olive oil in your pan. Add bacon and cook, until browned and crispy.



Meanwhile, butter your bread roll, if desired.

Place bacon on the bottom half of your roll and top with HP Sauce. Yes, it's a lot of bacon for one sandwich. No, it's not too much. There can never be enough bacon.



Cover with roll top.


That’s it! Simple, bacon-full and delicious. Enjoy!











Bacon Month is going to be epic!

 


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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

No-Bake Berry Cheesecake #NationalCheesecakeDay

Despite the richness of the ingredients, this no-bake cheesecake tastes light and fresh, especially with sweet summer berries on top and the crunchy oat-y crust underneath. 

Happy Cheesecake Day! Today I am celebrating with a fabulous group of food blogger friends and we have cheesecakes and cheesecake related recipes galore for you! Make sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to see all the links.

I don’t have a problem turning the oven on when it is summertime and temperatures are soaring. If I want to bake, I’m going to bake. (I offer into evidence, this week’s vibrant pink beet cornbread muffins. That said, when it’s not necessary to heat up the kitchen, I am grateful. This week I’m on Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands and we are having brilliant summer weather. Some edibles are produced on the island, notably Jersey Royal potatoes and fresh super creamy dairy products from the famous Jersey cows, but much of it is imported from either France or the United Kingdom by ferry. A couple of weeks ago, one of the boats ran aground so supermarkets are struggling to fill their shelves with the now limited incoming stock. Such are the vagaries of island life but the shortage meant that I couldn’t find enough raspberries to cover my cheesecake. Feel free to increase the amount of berries and completely cover yours.

Ingredients
For the crust:
11 Hobnobs or other crunchy cookie or biscuit (6 oz or 170g by weight)
1/3 cup or 75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch salt

For the filling:
1/2 cup or 120ml heavy cream
8 oz or 225g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup or 60g confectioners' or icing sugar
1/2 cup or 125g Greek yogurt (full-fat)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt

For topping:
1 cup fresh berries (or more to cover the cheesecake)
Optional garnish: one sprig of mint

Method
Put your Hobnobs or similar cookies in a plastic bag and use the side of meat tenderizing mallet or a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs.



Put them in a small mixing bowl and add 4 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar and a healthy pinch of salt. Pour in the melted butter and mix thoroughly.



Cut a piece of waxed paper or parchment to fit your nine-inch or 23cm square springform pan.


Press the buttery crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up the sides.




Using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer or electric beaters, whip your cream until stiff peaks form.

Check out the color of my Jersey cream! It is so full of fat that it whips extremely quickly and is pale yellow, almost like butter.

If you are using a stand mixer, transfer the whipped cream to another bowl because you will need that one again for the next step. If you are using electric beaters, proceed accordingly.

Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until smooth.



With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.



Pour the mixture into the crust.


Spread it around evenly, making sure to get it right into the corners.

Cover and refrigerate until firm. Mine took just a couple of hours.

Top with fresh berries of your choice and perhaps a sprig of mint for contrast.

Carefully remove the sides of your springform and pour some Champagne for the celebration.


Cut into slices, making sure each person gets some side crust. Try not to fight over the crunchy corner pieces.



Enjoy!


Are you a lover of cheesecake? This is your day! Start celebrating!

Baked Cheesecakes: No Bake Cheesecakes: Cheesecake Beverages: Cheesecake Cookies and Bars: Cheesecake Desserts and Treats: Frozen Cheesecakes and Treats:





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Monday, July 28, 2014

Beet Cornbread Muffins for #MuffinMonday


Beets give these muffins their distinctive bright color but the corn and cornmeal mellow the beety flavor making these muffins light and delicious. 

When I starting dating my husband more than 30 years ago, he would not eat three things: olives, beets and asparagus. He’s overcome his dislike of olives and asparagus, and actually really likes them both, but I am still working on getting him to eat beets. When I saw this recipe in the free supermarket (Waitrose) recipe booklet, it seemed worth a try. Let me just admit right now that he wasn’t crazy about these muffins. But my friend Glenys and I, beet lovers both, really liked them. I'll just keep on trying.

Ingredients
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons or 200g fine cornmeal or polenta
Generous pinch dried chili flakes or crushed red peppers
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 heaped cup or 195g canned corn, drained
8 2/3 oz or 245g cooked beets (I bought these in a vacuum pack in the supermarket – four small to medium-sized beets)
1/4 cup or 50g butter, melted and cooled
Scant 2/3 cup or 150g thick, Greek-style yogurt
2 large eggs

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin cups or greasing it.

In a large mixing bowl, combine your cornmeal with dried red pepper, baking powder and salt.



Puree your corn and beets together in a food processor or with a hand blender until relatively smooth. A few corn kernels left here and there are fine.



Add in the eggs, yogurt and melted butter and process or blend again.



Pour the wet ingredients into dry mixture and stir until well combined.



Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups.



Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.



These make a great addition to any brunch or luncheon menu.



Enjoy!


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