Gary’s Scones

Wednesday 24th March 2010

B&B Welcome Tea

It was the sweeping outside that was the stick that broke the camels back, if the back was the time…. It just ran away, and before I knew it, the B&B visitors had arrived, and the scones weren’t even in the oven (if I’m honest they were purely fictitious at this stage). I then ran around like a headless chicken looking for Gary: “Gary, Gary Gary Rhodes, where the devil are you? I neeeed you…..” Found him in the nick of time, hiding on the window sill with his marmalade. Scones were in the oven in 5 and out in 10 (plenty of chat ensued to hide the delay)…

Gary’s Scones (Oh Gary, you are wonderful)

This is nearly his recipe,

flour, self-raising, 1lb

baking powder, 1tsp

salt, pinch

sugar, 2oz

butter, 4oz

sultanas, 2 handfuls (optional, not popular with the smallies)

milk, 250ml approx

Mix dry ingredients & butter to crumbs, stir in sultanas then, add milk to bind into wettish dough. Flour table and rolling pin. Roll out dough to 2cm thick (thickish). Use 2 inch pastry cutter. Makes about 12 (or 8 big ones). Brush with beaten:

egg (optional), but it makes it really golden and luxurious.

Bake on 200°C fan oven for 10 minutes. Eat warm with homemade jam and a nice cup of tea.

Gotcha Gary, now you can’t hide from me, I can just google you into my world whenever I need to now, so hide on as many window sills are you want!

Amanda Nantgwynfaen

Sauté (roasted) Garlic Potatoes

Wednesday 24th March 2010

B&B Dinner

Ken invented these, and tho they are liberally cooked in butter, they are too heavenly to feel guilty. Good with steaks and chicken shoe(s) …

Sauté (roasted) Garlic Potatoes

Cooking Time 1 hour

potatoes, peeled and diced 2cm square (exactly approximately roughly etc)

herbes de provence, 1 tbsp

olive oil, 2 tbsp

butter, 2 large knobs

salt, 2 tsp

pepper

Roast for 20 minutes on 200°C turn potatoes and add:

onions, diced ¼ per person, approx

Roast for 20 minutes more, turn potatoes and add:

garlic, 1-2 cloves crushed

Roast until golden brown, crips on the outside, soft in the centre. If you can’t be bothered to add the onions and garlic later, they will burn so it is worth the trouble (and it is best to keep turning the potatoes anyway).

Amanda Nantgwynfaen

Chicken Shoe

Wednesday 24th March 2010

B&B Dinner

(Chicken) Chasseur doesn’t really mean footwear (though it could have referred to meat which was tough as ‘old boots’) anyway, it means ‘hunter’ in this case, and it was probably made with some tough old game bird, so imagine the even better results with a pert juicy young (but not cruely young) organic local chicken… more than 10/10 was awarded. It tastes quite smart and expensive, but cunningly uses the cheaper cuts. By cooking with the bones on and skimming the fat at the end, it’s not unhealthy either. If there is any chicken left, it is nice cold the next day (without the gravy, of course).

Chicken Shoe

Preparation time 2 minutes

Cooking Time +4 hours

chicken, thighs, wings, legs, skin on

butter, 60g

onions, x2, finely chopped

mushrooms, button 125g

white wine, ¼ bottle

brandy, 2 tbsp

tomato paste, 2 tsp

chicken stock, 250ml

herbs de provence, 1 tbsp (or chopped fresh tarragon & parsley)

flour, 1 tbsp mixed with a little cold water to a paste

Bung it all in the pot, put lid on firmly and bring to gentle simmer and bake on 200°C for half an hour. Reduce heat to 100°C for rest of baking time (a few hours). Half an hour before you want it ready, carefully lift the (extremely tender) chicken pieces onto a baking tray and pour the gravy into a jug. The fat will rise to the top. After 15 mins or so skim the fat off and place kitchen towel over the top to clear the rest of the grease. Meanwhile, heat the grill and grill the chicken pieces on both sides until brown and crisp – approx 5 minutes each side. Serve with the (reheated) gravy, sauté garlic (roasted) potatoes and greens.

Amanda Nantgwynfaen

Spotted Dick

Wednesday 24th March 2010
B&B Dinner

It wasn’t the spotted bit - it was the dick bit that caused the stir. The children were so disgusted with the name they became quite hyper and I had to firmly hand them the dish towel which sobered them right up – they had been quite raucous and were disturbing the visitors romantic night out… The dishtowel did the trick, AND got the washing up done too! I have to hand this one to Gary Rhodes, thanks Gazzer, I had to drop the suet tho’, couldn’t fancy it (and I added an egg, as it was there and broken and all). I used to do a chocolate version of this (without the spots) for Cai when he was allergic to dairy & egg. It was the only vegan cake that held together, I made a turtle birthday cake once, but that’s another recipe for another day….

Spotted Dick

butter (or suet if you must), 5oz,
flour, self raising, 10oz
sugar, 3oz
egg, 1 (optional)

Mix ingredients in Magimix until fine powder is reached, add:

currants, 4oz
lemon, finely grated zest of 1
milk, 185ml approx

Pulse (do not mix as the currants will crush) until soggy blob. Line bowl with non-stick baking parchment, blob in the blob. Cover with more parchment and put lid on (saucepan lid). Steam on trivet for 1 or 2 hours – a slow simmer is OK. Serve with custard or cream. Naughty, but nice.

Amanda Nantgwynfaen

Carrot Cake

Sunday 14th March 2010
Mother’s Day

We took this on our picnic. It would have been better without the nuts for the kids, but with the nuts, meant more for us! They had pink panthers so no guilt from me.

Carrot Cake
oil, sunflower or butter, 8oz
sugar, soft brown, 5oz
flour, wholemeal, self-raising, 7oz
eggs, 3
cinnamon, 1½ tsp
baking powder, 1tsp
salt, ½ tsp

Mix in food processor or mixer until blended. Gently pulse in, or stir in:

carrots, 7oz grated
walnuts, chopped, 3oz (optional)

Put into large deep dish or tin (20cms), lined with non-stick silicone parchment. Bake 160°C fan oven for approximately 45 mins until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.

Icing (optional)
crème fraiche, 250ml
icing sugar, 4oz
vanilla extract, 1tsp

Amanda Nantgwynfaen

Ocean Pie

Sunday 14th March 2010
Mother’s Day

I thought this would be a real treat to have on “my special day”. It would have been more of a treat to not have to cook it, but I decided that if I didn’t make it and handed the food over to someone else, it would be a disappointment because I had such a fixed idea of what I wanted. (Perhaps this is insulting or just a token of my control freakiness). Anyway, it was a bit of a faff, it probably took over an hour to prepare, but I did do a dairy free version and a separate one for mum, as it was mother’s day and she had supplied the coley….. it followed a rather splendid day at Castell Henllys, the iron-age fort with the family, 3 mums included. We had a winter picnic of Olly’s leek and potato soup with crusty bread, sprinkles of bacon and cheese, followed by coffee and carrot cake. It was a Victorian style picnic, without the servants, complete with gas cooker, mugs, and blessed weather – snow drops and the beginning of daffodils (at last).

Ocean Pie
potatoes, boil and mash with:
salt
pepper
butter

milk, approx 1.5 pints, warmed and infused for half an hour with:
celery
carrot
onion
salt
pepper
bay leaf
parsley stalks (or dried parsley)
fish skin/bones

Thawed fish:
Coley, or other plain fish 1 or 2 large fillets, remove any bones, cut into 2cm cubes
Prawns, 1 pack, large uncooked
Seafood Mix, 1 pack, mussels, squid, prawns, scallops etc
Smoked Haddock, optional, 1 fillet, I didn’t have any but it would

Make a béchamel sauce with the infused milk above and boil for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.
butter, 60g
flour, plain, 4 tbsp approx
parsley, chives & wild garlic leaves(optional), chopped finely, mix into sauce when thickened.

Turn on oven to 190°C fan. Place the thawed, drained seafood in the bottom of the dish, pour over the sauce, mash next and optional garnish with :
egg, beaten
butter, knobs

Bake 30 minutes until crisp and brown.

Amanda Nantgwynfaen