It's soup weather today - I love the idea of the broccoli and almond soup ... this one's my favourite from the Covent Garden Food Co. Soup book:

Cauliflower and Chive

I med. cauliflower cut into small florets
1 med potato
25gm butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped finely
650ml veg stock
4 tbsp greek yoghurt
1 tbsp chopped chives

Melt butter with oil, add onion and potato.
Cover and sweat until soft.
Add cauliflower and stock.
Bring to the boil, cover, simmer 15-20 mins until cauliflower is soft.
Blend until smooth.
Reheat and add yoghurt and chives.
Season to taste before serving.

That sounds rather nice Julieanne. Is it not too "cauliflowery"? I hated cauliflower as a child, other than raw, but can eat it now as long as it doesn't have too much of that particular taste. Now how does one describe a taste?

I think I might give it a go - have just checked with shortly arriving friend that she likes it and apart from the cauliflower itself it falls into the nice Czech definition of "co dum da" "what the house gives" ie all the ingredients are already present

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Cestina's dolls houses - Curtain Up!

No, the nice thing is that it isn't cauliflowery at all. Well, let me amend that - it is cauliflowery, of course, but not prominently so. Not like cauliflowers that have been left in the bottom of the fridge for too long!

And how funny - a recipe is posted in England and as a result, someone in Czech. is going to eat it ... it's like 6 degrees, isn't it? I (kind of) know cestina, but I don't know her friend, who is now only 1 degree of seperation from me. Very odd.

I'd love your assessment of it, cestina!

From the Autumn 2011 Gather:

Roasted Pepper and Tomato Soup

Take a roasting tin and fill with roughly equal amounts of onions, peppers (red/yellow/orange) and tomatoes. Toss in oil, add some whole, unpeeled garlic cloves. Roast until done I would guess about gas 6/200C/180C fan until done - maybe 40 mins.
Meanwhile simmer a tin or tins of chopped tomatoes (I used 2 tins for about 10 people) for about 20 mins, adding a splash of water if it gets too thick.
Add roasted veg to the pan along with 'enough' stock and a handful of fresh basil leaves. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and add. Purée with a hand blender. Serve.

If you want to make this in advance and reheat I'd add the basil at the last minute and repuree.

If you have broccoli and almond soup too use two ladles to have half and half in the same bowl at once like some gatherers. (Actually, I'm not sure they went that well together but it looked pretty)

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"[Reprint means] word for word, comma for comma, not a mutilated updated version revised to take account of current fads and vocabulary." Antonia Forest

Oh - this sounds gorgeous ... I hate peppers - except for when they're roasted. I've got a lovely recipe for 'Mediterrean Tomato Relish' which gets a lot of its flavour from the peppers. I've tried making it with just tomatoes and it doesn't work nearly as well.

I'll fish it out later on and post it here.

All these italics remind me of whoever it was who wrote to Jo using lots of italics ... who was it? A mother of someone?

The roasted pepper soup was absolutely GORGEOUS! And I'm planning on making the sausage casserole this weekend too.

Wasn't it Maisie Gomm (Jo Scott's mum), I think it was printed as italics and underlinings, but is just talked about as underlinings when they discuss the letter.

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"How long does getting thin take?" asked Pooh anxiously
"About a week, I should think" said Christopher Robin

Ah. That's the one. I'm turning into Mrs Gomm. Now there's a name I might not consider taking, should I ever marry!

Preserved Quinces

Sorry the quantities are imperial - this is from an old recipe book: The Complete Farmhouse Cookbook by Mary Norwak and Babs Honey (1973), a compilation of even older recipes.

5 lb quinces
3 lb sugar
water

Peel, quarter and core quinces, dropping each piece into cold water to stop discoloration until all are done, and keep all peelings and core pieces. Further cut any very large quarters in half - quince pieces should be about one and a half by one inches (5 by 3 cm) max.

Cook peelings and cores in water to cover, boiling for 15 minutes, then strain off and keep liquid.

Add prepared quince pieces to liquid and cook gently until tender.

Remove cooked quince pieces from cooking liquid with slotted spoon and put in bowl. After a minute or two drain any liquid that has collected in the bowl back into the pan.

Add sugar to pan and stir until dissolved, then bring quickly to boil. Return quince pieces to pan and cook until clear.

Divide quince pieces between sterilised jars and top up with the liquid which will by now be amber-coloured. Cover as normal and store.

This benefits from a few weeks maturing, by which time the colour will be approaching ruby. Serve with creme fraiche for a lovely fresh-tasting dessert at Christmas when you can't face any more pudding, cake or mince pies!

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to be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e.e.cummings
http://stitchwords.blogspot.co.uk

Gosh - this looks gorgeous abbey! Thank you. It's been added to my collectoin. Now all I need to do is locate some quince shrubs and do some scrumping.

I haven't tried this recipe with Japanese quinces, only the real old-fashioned European tree quinces [as big as pears]. The Japanese ones make a good jelly, though, but it's more lemon-y flavoured than the European quince, and less scented.

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to be nobody but yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.
e.e.cummings
http://stitchwords.blogspot.co.uk

I made the sausage casserole on Sunday. Went down very well despite having to do one portion of sausages separately

I bought loads of peppers, tomatoes and onions from butchers so will be making the roasted pepper and tomato soup very soon

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Visit http://www.encorebooks.co.uk and http://stores.ebay.co.uk/encorebooks for a wide selection of secondhand and new children's books (including ones published by GGBP, Bettany Press, Greyladies, The EJO Society, Books to Treasure and Fidra Books)

I made sausage casserole on sunday too! Matty was most appreciative.

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"How long does getting thin take?" asked Pooh anxiously
"About a week, I should think" said Christopher Robin

Gluten-free Lemon Drizzle Cake (from my sister-in-law - the comments are hers )

200 gr. butter (room temp.)
200 gr. golden castor sugar
4 eggs
175 gr. ground almonds
OR
175 gr. polenta (I haven't tried it with this)
250 gr. mashed potatoes (absolutely NO lumps! Ricer is good for this)
zest of 3 lemons
2 teasp. gluten-free baking powder

For the drizzle:

4 tblsp. granulated sugar
juice of 1 lemon (one of the above)

Beat sugar and butter together, gradually add the egg.
Fold in the almonds/polenta, potatoes, lemon zest and baking powder.
Pour the mixture into a 20cm. lined cake tin.
Bake for 40 to 45 mins. at 180 degrees.
Leave to cool ever so slightly. Mix together the ingredients for the drizzle and spread over the cake, leave to cool completely in the tin.

My (her!) own observations:
Ground almonds come in bags with 200 gr. so I use the whole bag, and to stop the cake becoming bitter I therefore add another 25 gr. of the castor sugar.
It does make a difference to use golden castor sugar. I tried ordinary castor sugar but it isn't as nice.
The cake rises quite a lot, so I often make two out of the one recipe quantity, which are then flatter which is nice because you don't end up with a huge slice - and you get more of the lemon drizzle per portion! I make a double portion of the drizzle - the recipe calls for the rind of three lemons, so there's plenty to make the juice from. You need to pour the drizzle on while the cake is still very hot so the sugar sort of melts and caramelizes a bit on top.

For us I don't bother with gluten free baking powder because we are not that badly allergic, only some intolerance, so a little is OK. But you can buy gluten free in all supermarkets in the 'Free from' section.

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Cestina's dolls houses - Curtain Up!

Since people are starting to think about Christmas, here are some recipes of mine:

Mini Plum Puddings
(Makes approx. 15)

1 cup dry mixed fruit (optional)
¼ cup Brandy or orange juice (OJ is better as brandy can be too strong)
250g chocolate cake
½ tsp grated orange rind
½ cup icing sugar
125g dark chocolate grated
Additional orange juice as required

For top:
90g melted white chocolate
2 tsp oil
red and green glace cherries

Combine fruit and brandy/juice in a bowl and leave for at least one hour.

Break up chocolate cake and put in separate bowl with rind, icing sugar and dark chocolate.

Add fruit and brandy/juice to other ingredients.

If mix is too dry, add small amount of orange juice. (Mix should be slightly sticky, but not wet.)

Roll handfuls of mix (approx. 1 tbs) into balls and place on try.

Refrigerate for approx 1 hour, covered if possible to prevent drying out.

Cut cherries into tiny pieces.

Once mix slightly set, melt white chocolate and add oil.

Dip each ball into melted chocolate and add bits of red and green cherries for decoration.

Return to fridge for approx 30 mins.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Spiders
(Makes approx. 18)

100g fried noodles
250g dark chocolate
2tbs peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt it, adding the peanut butter once all of the chocolate is almost melted. Mix until smooth.

Add the noodles and blend gently until the noodles are completely covered.

Spoon small amounts of the mix onto greaseproof paper and place in the fridge for approx. 10 mins so the chocolate sets.

Apricot Fruit Log

125g chopped dried apricots
30g chopped nuts (walnuts or almonds)
60g chopped marshmallows (scissors are best for this)
125g plain biscuits (e.g. Granitas)
½ tin condensed milk
1tsp vanilla essence
Coconut for rolling

Crush biscuits in a bowl and add apricots, nuts and marshmallows.

Add the condensed milk and essence and mix until combined. (Mixture will be very sticky and gooey.)

Sprinkle a bit of coconut on a piece of clingwrap.

Spoon some mixture onto the coconut and roll it into a small log (approx. 2cm in diameter).

Repeat with remainder of mixture.

Place logs onto greaseproof paper, cover with foil and store in the fridge overnight.

Cut into small pieces when set.

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The writer's credo: 'Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like' (Delta Goodrem - Born To Try)

I know quite a lot of people don't like a really dark fruit Christmas cake. This recipe for a Rich Spice Cake has been in my family for generations:

8 oz. Self raising flour
6 oz. Butter
6 oz. Caster Sugar
4 eggs
3/4 lb. mixed dried fruit (currants, sultanas)
1/4 lb. stoned raisins
2 oz. glace cherries
2 oz. ground almonds
1 teasp. mixed spice
1/4 teasp. nutmeg

Mix all dry ingredients, including fruit together.
Cream butter and sugar.
Beat eggs well, add to creamed sugar and butter alternately with dry ingredients.
Mix to a stiff consistency.
Add a wineglass of brandy.
Pour into well greased and lined 10" round cake tin. Decorate with ground almonds. [ETA - should probably be a 9" tin - my copy of the recipe doesn't actually give the size and it's so long since I made this that I honestly don't recall which I used].
Bake in slow oven (250-275F) for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
This is by no means as 'solid' as a traditional dark fruit cake often is. My grandmother adapted it from a traditional Yorkshire recipe given to her by a farmer's wife. It is good on its own, or served with a crumbly cheese - we usually had Wensleydale with it.

Also, Cestina - your lemon drizzle cake sounds intriguing - do you know if it's possible to make it with a milk-free margarine instead of the butter, for those who are both dairy and gluten intolerant?

This was the favourite of the Christmas treats I brought to work last year (the recipe was first written out for a couple of co-workers).

Salty Crunchy Chocolate Toffee


INGREDIENTS
Saltine Crackers (usually 1 to 1.5 sleeves – I’ve never actually counted how many)
1 cup butter (I used salted, because I had more of it and I don’t think it matters)
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark, it doesn’t matter)
2 cups chocolate chips (I think that semi-sweet, rather than milk or dark, works best)

DIRECTIONS
1. Pre-heat oven to 400C.
2. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum paper (makes clean up much easier)
3. Arrange crackers in a single layer to cover the cookie sheet. You can use broken pieces to fill in the edges. Set aside near your stove.
4. Melt butter and brown sugar in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil (be careful as it can get splattery and it hurts!). Stir often (but doesn’t need to be constant).
5. Allow to boil for 2 minutes. You don’t need to be exact here, various recipes I’ve found on line range from no boiling at all to 4 minutes of boiling, so I just took a middle value.
6. Carefully pour the butter/sugar mixture over the crackers and spread as evenly as possible. Again, no need to be exact, the mixture will melt more and spread more when in the over.
7. Put the cookie sheet in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes until brown and bubbly (okay, the sugar/butter mixture starts out brown, so just let it get more brown).
8. Remove from oven. Sometimes it seems that the crackers have shifted around and stopped being a single layer. I just poke them back, roughly into place. Resist the temptation to touch the crackers with your fingers (unless you enjoy burnt fingers).
9. Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over top and let set for a few minutes so that they start to melt from the heat of the toffee. If they don’t (i.e. you spent too long fixing the crackers and the toffee cold down or you are just too impatient), you can stick the sheet back in the oven to get them to melt.
10. Spread the chocolate evenly.
11. Allow to cool (sticking it in the fridge makes it much faster).
12. Break into pieces. You could cut them into pieces but breaking them is more fun.

You can sprinkle things on top of the chocolate layer before it sets - chopped nuts work well, sea salt completes the "salty" bit, skor bits can also be good.

I love Saltines - does anyone know where I can get them in England? I've looked on-line but have never found them, and there's nothing very close to them here.

You can buy them on Amazon I think. There's also a grocery store near where I love that sells them but I'm not sure that's hugely helpful to you

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http://www.livejournal.com/users/kathrynw/

What are saltine crackers? The recipe looks interesting (although I'm afraid I'd also have to convert the measurements, as cooking by volume scares me), but they're about £6 / box on Amazon! Does anyone know what the nearest UK equivalent is?

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The Chalet School has done it again!

My website - Joyful Jewellery

Joyful Jewellery on Facebook

[url=http://joyful-jewellery.myshopify.com/blogs/news/79806723-christmas-2015New blog post 28th November[/url]

How exciting ... I missed Amazon. They are so light and I love the saltiness.

So here goes Spoot's recipe! And the rest - they look amazing!
I am going to copy and paste them into Word and add them to my collection for Better Times ..!

What are skor bits, please?

I have never, ever successfully translated American cup measurements into either Imperial or metric. I used to have a wonderful American cookie book, but not a single recipe could i make work. So sad. All those wonderful pictures of cookies and I could cook nary a one ...