pomegranate honey

Thanks go to both the food writer Charlotte Wood and Lucy Dodd's food blog Nourish Me for the superb idea of mixing pomegranate seeds and a little shaved skin of the whole fruit into a jar of honey. What could be easier, tastier and better for you and it's a cure for a sore throat as well!

There's nothing to this other than I've stated above. Use a lemon zester if you have one or otherwise use a very sharp knife to finely slice up a little of the skin avoiding the white pith. Wear gloves and an apron when cutting the fruit (pomegranate stains are almost indelible). Cut a whole pomegranate in half and either bang out the seeds or squeeze them out by hand making sure there is no white membrane attached to them. Drain away any juice and reserve on the side to drink later.

Pour a jar of honey into an airtight container, add the drained seeds and the peel and close tightly. Leave in the pantry for a couple of weeks for the flavours to marry. The colour and texture will change to a pinkish hue and will have a thiner consistency. Place in the fridge and simply top up with more honey, seeds and peel as the level goes down with use.

Divine served drizzled over ice cream, yoghurt or on salads or anything that compliments a sparkling sweet-tart flavour.

Pomegranates are loaded with potassium and vitamin C. The seeds are translucent, luscious,  brilliant-red and jewel like. This would be a perfect accompaniment to a Christmas feast and I should have posted this recipe for Christmas this year but like everyone, time got away from me.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

berry timbale with passionfruit coulis

This is lovely fresh dessert, easy to make with an impressive result. The following recipe makes 6 x 125ml (half cup) capacity dariole moulds. I use Queen's (chocolate) Writing Fudge to seal in the coulis. You could, if you are proficient at making a paper piping bag, with a very fine nozzle, melt down a small chocolate bar instead. Cold plates are essential for serving.

Ingredients:

125g fresh raspberries

250g fresh blueberries

Orange Jelly ingredients:

300ml orange juice (strained) - zest reserved to candy

100ml clear apple juice

6 gelatin leaves or 1 tablespoon edible gelatin powder slacked in 100ml water (sets 400ml liquid, including the 100ml used to slacken)

20ml Grand Marnier liquor

50g sugar

Method:

Soften the gelatin leaves in cold water and squeeze out excess or slacken powder in water as above.

Place everything in a small saucepan except the Grand Marnier, boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, add Grand Marnier and set aside to cool.

Fill the Dariole moulds to the top with layers of berries and pour over the jelly. Place in fridge until set, cover with cling film, setting time is several hours or overnight if preferred.

Passionfruit Coulis:

4 medium size passionfruit

1 orange, juiced (zest reserved to candy)

40g icing sugar

25ml water (extra may be needed later for thinning purposes)

Method:

Boil for 2-3 minutes and strain. Add a drop more water if the coulis is too thick. Set aside in a squeezy bottle or small jug

Candid Orange Zest:

Blanch zested peel in boiling water from cold water starts and refresh in cold water. Repeat three times. This takes away the bitterness while softening the zest at the same time.

Method &Ingredients:

Place zest in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoon sugar, 30ml water, 1 tablespoon liquid glucose. Cook for 3 minutes until transparent. Strain and set aside.

Note: the zested peel of a lime could be added for colour

To Serve:

Draw a nice design of your choice with the writing fudge, fill in the centre with the coulis. Upturn the dariole moulds (briefly run the bottom of each one under a very hot tap to release). Place the candid peel on top of the moulds and dust a little sieved icing sugar.

Note: the peel is not visible in the photograph, sorry!

figs with goat's cheese & prosciutto

'As fresh as a sailor home from the sea' was an advertising slogan for fresh eggs at a local garage where we grew up. Even as a youngster I wondered just how fresh a sailor might be having been at sea for any length of time!

Despite my suspicions of freshness those words still ring in my head and they certainly did and do conjure up a salty sea breeze, wind in my hair, sand between my toes and the wild, rugged, beautiful, remote coastline that we call home. So, the slogan worked!

Today's post is nothing to do with eggs instead it's all about figs especially if consumed straight from the tree; when they certainly are 'as fresh as a sailor home from the sea'.

Figs are divine, delectable and delicious and a lovely way to serve them is to simply make two incisions across the top, squeeze them just a little to plump up the flesh, place a spoonful of fresh goats cheese into each cavity, wrap a slice of prosciutto around the bottom of each one, drizzle a little honey and lime juice over the top, and finally a grinding or two of cracked black pepper finishes the dish. Serve immediately.

Some ingredients are just meant to be together and the above is no exception. First, we eat with our eyes, then there's the moment of taste when the brain tells us this is a marriage made in heaven!

Quince time, again.................

Just another reminder that it's quince time again. Fill your home with the heady aroma of baking quince. They do not need to be peeled, just cut each one into quarters, remove the seeds, place the cut pieces in a greased ovenproof dish and drizzle with honey. Cook until tender.

clink link for printer friendly page:
  https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/quince-time-again

Persimmon time again......

Just a little reminder that persimmons are back in season - laden trees in full autumn glory, fruit beckoning to be picked. The most simple way to eat them is direct from the tree, split the skin and suck out the flesh or for a more refined way slice them in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.  Our poor old tree struggles on having been leant on by kangaroos, bashed about by the ride-on mower and branches torn off in storms. We love it despite its rather tatty appearance and the heavenly fruit is a joy once a year. (click here for persimmon sorbet method).

click here to print recipe: https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/persimmon-time-again

Black Currant Grapes

Sweet, succulent, black currant grapes are back in season, briefly. They are the sweetest, most succulent, jewel-like grapes of all. They look particularly good served on small, wooden Swedish boards normally used for herrings and other Scandinavian things. One grape bunch fits perfectly on each board with room for cheese and biscuits. A simple and elegant individual cheese platter allowing the black currant grapes centre stage.

Getting perspective was difficult when I photographed the filled boards so you need to know the boards are 16cm x 9cms and the grapes are complete bunches not bits cut off a large bunch. I served them with goat’s cheese but there is nothing to stop you adding another variety or two of cheese!

making the most of citrus

Our orchard is heavy with blood oranges, lemons, limes and orange blossom - all crying out to be picked and dealt with in some fancy way. Not wanting to miss this opportunity I made up the following: Two bottles of limoncello two batches of glazed limes and blood oranges and 750ml of orange blossom cordial. I also zested and juiced a lot of excess fruit and froze it in ice-block trays for that rainy day when the fruit is scarce and the heady perfume of our orchard can come flooding back to me.

It really is a good idea to juice excess citrus. If you don't have an orchard buy lots when it's cheap this saves time by guaranteeing measurement and gives you a plentiful supply at any given moment. My ice-block trays hold 30ml a slot speeding up cooking times for future recipes. Blood oranges only have a very short season and are so worth capitalizing on in this time frame. There is nothing quite like their taste and flavour. I freeze all citrus zest but I blanch it three times from cold water starts before doing so. This takes away the bitter taste while softening it at the same time. Once the contents of the trays are frozen either wrap them in cling film or remove the blocks and place them in plastic bags for easier storage.

Glazed Blood Oranges

250ml water

250ml granulated sugar

6-8 medium sizd blood oranges

Use a 30cm (12 inch) frying pan and melt the sugar and water slowly over a low heat. Stir until boiling point then lower heat to a simmer and add the fruit, carefully. Don't worry about the pips and take the risk of damaging the fruit - they pop out during the cooking and can be removed with tongs - if you miss a few it doesn't matter. Cook until the fruit is sticky and the liquid has almost evaporated. Allow to cool and place each slice carefully into an airtight container and refrigerate. Substitute: limes but use about 10. Use either glazed fruit as a garnish for desserts, sliced pates or in drinks.

Orange Blossom Cordial (if this link breaks use the search option above)

In addition to my previously published recipe I strained the cordial and flowers through muslin before pouring into the sterilize bottle. I used 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water and it was quite tart. Add a little more sugar if you have a sweet tooth. Delicious either way. I only had borage flowers for my ice-blocks - multicoloured edible flowers look wonderful. Yield this time: 700ml