Cherry Vodka

This one comes from my Mum…

Last year Giles made some blackberry vodka – it is yummy. It set me thinking about what other fruit could be used. I had a lot of cherries given me and although I love them I could only eat so many! I made a cherry pie and then thought about steeping some in vodka. I made it the same way that Giles did his blackberry one, and will let you all know the result in about three to four months time.

I will try it with other summer fruits when they are ripe and report on that too!

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1lb/450g of Cherries, chopped
½lb/225g Unrefined Sugar
Vodka

1 Chop the cherries into smallish pieces and place them in a large jar.

2 Add the sugar.

3 Pour over the vodka until just covering the chopped cherries.

4 Seal and then shake the jar every day until the sugar is dissolved.

5 Place in a dark cupboard for three to four months, strain and serve.

6 Serve on its own or topped up with a sparkling wine.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Drink, cherry gin, cherry vodka, fruit, gin, vodka

Fruity Flapjacks

I have always made flapjacks – they have always been a family favourite. Also having Coeliac Disease I can tolerate oats as long as I don’t eat them every day. Usually I make them plain, but whilst sitting in the Dentist’s one day I came across this recipe which I copied out. I cannot remember the name of the magazine or the cook so cannot give them the thanks of how these flapjacks are made. All I can say they are delicious and I find it hard to keep to one a day! Do try them at your peril!

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 Orange
1 Lemon
50g Golden syrup
175g Butter
150g Soft brown sugar
200g Oats (not jumbo)
75g Pine nuts or amount to your liking
75g Raisins or amount to your liking

Pre-heat oven 160C, Fan 140C, Gas 3

1 Grease the inside of a 20cm square baking tin, line with parchment and grease again.

2 Grate zest from Orange and lemon (no pith) into a large saucepan.

3 Measure the golden syrup into the pan too.

4 Add the butter and brown sugar, heat gently stirring until butter melted and sugar melted. Take off heat.

5 Add the oats, pine nuts and raisins to the saucepan and mix thoroughly.

6 Pour into the prepared tin spreading it evenly.

7 Place tin in the oven and bake for 25/35 minutes or until golden in colour. Check the oven after 20 minutes or so.

8 When cooked remove from the oven allow to cool for a few minutes, then mark the flapjack into squares with a knife.

Do eat the first few warm, with coffee or tea, – they are irresistible.

NB: The oats I used are Gluten-free and bought from Waitrose.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Cakes & Biscuits, Gluten Free, coeliac diet, coeliac recipes, flapjacks, fruit, gluten free, gluten free food, gluten free meals, gluten free recipes, golden syrup, oats, what is gluten, wheat free diet, wheat free foods, wheat free recipes

Chocolate Yule Log (Gluten Free)

As it is christmas time, I thought that I would re-blog about our Chocolate Roulade recipe that is perfect as a Chocolate Yule Log recipe too.

Dont forget that if you are using the recipe for a Yule Log, either fill with a liqueur or chocolate cream, cover in chocolate ganache, mark with a fork, stick on fake robin, and enjoy!

And it is Gluten Free too.

Filed under: Gluten Free, Puddings, chocolate, chocolate yule log, christmas, coeliac, coeliac diet, coeliac recipes, eggs, fruit, gluten free, gluten free food, gluten free meals, gluten free recipes, log, roulade, sugar, what is gluten, wheat free diet, wheat free foods, wheat free recipes, winter, xmas, yule

“Sloe Sparkles”

A fun Christmas or New Year party drink, for breaking the ice, or serving as a pre-dinner aperitif is this delicious recipe using homemade Sloe Vodka.

Pour a measure of Sloe Vodka into a champagne flute and add a squeeze of lemon. Top up with either champagne, prosecco or any sparkling white wine, chilled.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Drink, christmas, foraging, fruit, gin, sloe gin, sloe sparkles., sloe vodka, sloes, urban, vodka, xmas

“Blackberry Bubbles”

“Blackberry Bubbles” is a festive drink for this winter season, that I created using our homemade Blackberry Vodka or Blackberry Brandy.

Pour a measure of either the vodka or brandy into a champagne flute. Top up with either champagne, prosecco or any sparkling white wine, chilled.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Drink, blackberries, blackberry, blackberry brandy, blackberry bubbles, blackberry gin, blackberry vodka, brandy, bubbles, christmas, fruit, gin, vodka, xmas

Blackberry Vodka Update

My next drink to sieve and bottle, after the Sloe Vodka, was my Blackberry Vodka. This was completely different to the first drink, as it was much darker and richer looking and when I opened the bottle for the first time, it had a stronger sweeter smell too.

After sieving the more syrupy liquid through my cheese cloth, I noticed that the blackberries left behind had turned a rich raspberry red colour. I then poured myself a small measure and was very happy with the results! Having a sweet tooth, this drink was really sweet and delicious and had a nice kick to it as well. I was really pleased at this point, as both drinks had been a success. It’s a shame I promised to give most of it away for xmas!!

I really recommend anyone wanting to try making their first homemade alcoholic drink, to give this easy recipe a go. The results are worth it!

Now, I wonder if there is anything I can make with the leftover vodka infused blackberries?

Filed under: Drink, blackberries, blackberry, blackberry gin, blackberry vodka, fruit, gin, vodka, xmas

Sloe Vodka Update

Three months after creating and bottling up my Sloe Vodka, it was time to finally sieve the alcohol and fruit, then bottle (and taste) the final product.

The sloes that came out of the storage bottle were a gorgeous rich red colour which in turn made the vodka an amazing translucent red colour.

Having never made or tasted Sloe Vodka before, I poured myself a small measure and was pleasantly suprised at how clean, crisp and full of flavour it was. It was sweeter than I thought it would be as well! I had to stop the tasting process so that there would be some left to give away as xmas presents.

I also have some other ideas planned on how to use some of the vodka in a post to come, so watch this space!

Also read Sloe Vodka Watch – Day #3.

Filed under: Drink, foraging, fruit, gin, sloe gin, sloe vodka, sloes, urban, vodka, xmas

Blackberry and Apple Jam

Blackberry and Apple jam is a perfect autumn recipe – delicious, straightforward and very satisfying, especially when the fruit comes straight from the garden, making it organic too. I love that this is another of those family recipes handed down from generation to generation. As ever, I asked my mum where she first learnt about it and this is what she told me…

My grandma always said that blackberries should not be picked in October as they must be left for the rest of nature to enjoy and also the witches! I disobeyed her this year as the blackberries were so plentiful and juicy and hoped that there was enough for us all! Her jam recipe is a favourite of mine as I remember having it piled onto hot toast for tea as the evenings drew in. A good Autumn recipe. It is also good on real vanilla ice-cream.

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
4lbs (1.8g) Blackberries
1½lbs (680g) Cooking Apples
½pint Water
Juice of ½lemon
Sugar – either jam sugar or granulated

1 Put the blackberries and ¼ pint of water into a pan and simmer until the fruit is soft. They can be left whole or sieved to remove seeds.

2 Peel, core & slice apples, add remaining water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender and cook together until thick.

3 Weigh the pulp and add equal amounts of warmed sugar and simmer until all the sugar is dissolved.

4 * Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.

5 Leave to cool slightly in the pan, having removed any scum that collects around the edge, and stir.

6 Pour into warm sterilised jars, leave to cool and cover.

Enjoy!

* NB To know if the setting point is reached, put a saucer to get cold in the fridge. Remove the pan from the heat, pour a teaspoonful of the jam onto the cold saucer and if the jam wrinkles when pushed with the finger setting point has been reached. If it doesn’t wrinkle put it back on the heat and cook and test until it does.

Filed under: Gluten Free, Others, Preserve, Vegetarian, apple, apples, autumn, blackberries, blackberry, coeliac diet, coeliac recipes, fruit, gluten free, gluten free food, gluten free meals, gluten free recipes, jam, what is gluten, wheat free diet, wheat free foods, wheat free recipes

Chocolate Roulade (Gluten Free)

Having missed out on my post for Chocolate Week due to feeling unwell and then having a busy couple of weeks at work, I decided to make my mum’s chocolate roulade recipe as a pudding after my Coq au Vin dish last weekend.

My first ever post, 2 months ago, was my mum’s Meringue Roulade recipe and it has been a very popular post since then. This is a delicious alternative that was just as fun to make, especially as it was filled with fresh raspberries straight from the garden so late on in October. I cant remember the first time I had it, so as usual I asked my mum where it came from…

My children don’t like Christmas cake so I used to make a chocolate Yule-log. When I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease I had to find an alternative recipe that didn’t have flour in it. This chocolate roulade recipe was just the idea, but it makes a wonderful gooey pudding too, as you can see from the recipe. If using the recipe for a Yule-log, either fill with a liqueur or chocolate cream, cover in chocolate ganache, mark with a fork, stick on fake robin, and enjoy.

This is a chocolate mousse mixture, baked like a soft meringue and rolled up with cream. Prepare in advance by baking the roulade the day before. Then fill and roll up several hours before serving.

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 8

Ingredients:
6ozs Plain Chocolate
5 Large Eggs
6ozs Caster Sugar
2 Tablespoons Hot Water (see recipe)
A little Icing Sugar
Cream and fruit for filling

Swiss roll tin approx. 13½” x 9″ brushed with oil, lined with non-stick paper cut to fit width of tin but long enough to overlap the two ends. Lightly Oil Paper

Oven 180ºC, 350ºF, 160ºC Fan Oven, Gas Mark 4

1 Break chocolate into a bowl over a saucepan of hot water – leave until soft.

2 Separate eggs; put yolks into a large bowl, add sugar & using a whisk beat until pale in colour and thickened.

3 When chocolate has melted remove from heat & stir in 2tbls of hot water from the pan beneath, leave to cool a little.

4 Using a slow whisk incorporate the chocolate into the egg mixture.

5 In a clean bowl, whisk egg whites until stiff. Using a large spoon mix 1 spoonful into the chocolate mixture to loosen it.

6 Then carefully, gently & evenly fold in the rest of the egg whites.

7 Pour mixture into the tin & spread evenly, paying particular attention to the corners.

8 Bake in the centre of oven for 15 – 20 mins, should be firm to touch.

9 Remove from heat and while hot cover, first with a sheet of greaseproof paper and then a tea-towel and leave undisturbed until quite cold

10 Turn out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper that has been dusted with icing sugar. Peel away the baking paper, whip cream and spread over, sprinkle with desired fruit.

11 Roll up using the sugared paper to help, it may crack but push it together and sprinkle with more icing sugar. Chill for several hours before serving.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Gluten Free, Puddings, chocolate, chocolate roulade, coeliac, coeliac diet, coeliac recipes, eggs, fruit, gluten free, gluten free food, gluten free meals, gluten free recipes, roulade, sugar, what is gluten, wheat free diet, wheat free foods, wheat free recipes

Green & Red Tomato Chutney

It’s halfway through October and with a lack of sunshine I still had approx. 30 green tomatoes on my plant outside. Now with the first frosts at the tail end of the year about to happen, I didnt want them to go to waste so decided to have a go at another chutney after making my Spicy Green Tomato Chutney last month.

I found another great recipe that looked delicious as well perfect for my needs, as I wanted something less spicy this time.

I only had 8ozs of green tomatoes from my plant, so added 8ozs of red tomatoes to make up the pound in weight.

As with my last chutney, this didnt require any finesse to make, but was great fun and the smells around the kitchen were amazing. While it was cooling, we were already tucking into it with some cheese as it looked so good. The best bit is that it tastes as good as it looks.

This is definately one recipe I will be making again if I am left with a glut of green tomatoes next year!

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 lb Tomatoes - green, red - or a mix of either
1 lb Cooking Apples - peeled and cored
1 lb Demerara Sugar
1/2 lb Onions - peeled
1/2 lb Sultanas
1 pt Malt Vinegar
1 level tbsp Salt
2 tbsp Flour
1/2 tbsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Mustard Powder

1 Roughly dice and chop the tomatoes, apples and onions and put them all in a good heavy based pan, mixing it well.

2 Add 3/4 pint of vinegar, the sultanas and the salt, bring to the boil and simmer until it turns into a pulp, stirring frequently – Approx 20-30 mins.

3 Add the demerara sugar, stirring in to dissolve, then bring it all gently back to the boil and then continue simmering gently for a few minutes.

4 Then mix the flour, mustard and ground ginger with the rest of the vinegar together in a small bowl.

5 Add in the above mixture, stirring it well to stop it from sticking to the pan.

6 Bring it all gently to the boil again, and stir until it starts to thicken (for about 5-10 mins).

7 Spoon into sterilised jars and enjoy either after standing for a while to let the flavours develop or immediately if you are impatient like me.

Enjoy with anything savoury!

Filed under: Others, apples, chutney, fruit, green, green tomatoes, red, red tomatoes, tomato, tomatoes