Abernethy fudge doughnuts

A great way to use up leftover sweet dough! The fudge goes slightly soft in the middle of the doughnut very moorish!
You will need
Left over sweet dough
A packet of Abernethy fudge
Cinnamon sugar to dust
A deep fat frier

First portion out the dough into 15g balls or larger of you want bigger doughnuts.
Flatten out a ball and place a piece of fudge in the middle, then form it back into a ball by pinching in the bottom until a perfect sealed ball is formed. Repeat until you have enough doughnuts, cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove for 30 mins.
To cook the doughnuts it best to have the oil between 170oc and 180oc
It should only take 4 mins to turn golden Brown you will need to turn them during cooking.
Once cooked place on kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil, then coat in sugar and enjoy.

A return to blogging!

It is time to start back at giving you recipes, tips and guides to food. I have for the time being given up on the Allotment due to the weather but will spend time over winter preparing the ground and sheltering the plot.

So where to start a bread post I think savoury or sweet?
I will also post a guide to The Bread Course at Belfast Cookery School watch this space next course Sunday 30th September http://belfastcookeryschool.com/class_info.php?Id=501
Below are some of the bread produced at previous classes. Its a fun morning with lunch and wine!

Taking a short break

Some of you already know that I have had to take life at a slower pace. I am going to be taking most of June off to concentrate on my health.
I was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the end of last year, it has now come the time to treat it. So at the end of May I am going to have an operation and radiotherapy.
I have lots of plans when I am back on my feet and will keep everyone posted. I may even have time to write a few recipes while I am off.
Watch this space.

Feathers and cameras

I am sitting in Brew bar cafe enjoying an aeropress coffee as I write about my day on a photo shot.
Back in November John Lynch asked me if I would like to do some food photography for a competition. I jumped at the chance todo something different. We put are thinking caps on as what food todo. We set on a theme of fork to plate and wanted to do mushrooms, sadly a few weeks to late for wild mushrooms. So thinking colours and season pheasant was decided as a great choice.
A week later I had sources the birds from John at Crossgar foods, many thanks John.
We needed to think of what to serve with it so a look in the garden and there was dark red beetroot and a healthy bunch of kale.
For a starter I settled for a favorite of mine goats cheese tart with carmalized red onions.
For the dessert a lemon tart, I normally make lemon curd tarts but this time settled on a proper baked lemon tart no short cuts.

The next step was finding props for the photos, John scoured the local charity shops and took a trip to see @mattpottery.
I looked out my stuff and planned the menu thinking more of look than I normally do.

So early on a Friday morning we started, I headed to John's house with my knives, blow tourch and other kit. Not forgeting the ingredients, and my shooting jacket.

Recipes and more about the day in a few days time.

Ginger Wheaten Bread

I make this wheaten bread to go with lime cured beef and horseradish.

350mls butter milk
1 tbls of local honey
250grms self raising flour
250grms wholemeal flour
1 tbls of wheat germ
1/2 tsp cream tarter
1 tsp bicarb of soda
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp malden salt or a local alternative

Pre heat the oven to 180oC
Weigh dry ingredients and add to a large mixing bowl.
Add the butter milk and honey and using a wooden spoon or table knife form onto a dough.
Do not over mix just form into a not too sticky ball.
Place on a floured baking tray cut a cross on the bread and bake for 50 mins. Or you could use bread pot like me Matt the potter will make them for you @Mattpottery on Twitter.

Carrot cake with lime drizzle

As its the start of the year I am posting this recipe. Over the years I have made this cake with cream cheese icing, this gives you a much lighter fresher finish.

Caster sugar 1 cup
Eggs 3
Sunflower oil 150 mls
Plain flour 1 cup
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
Pinch of malden salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2 medium carrots grated
1/4 cup of fruit soaked in earl grey tea for 20 mins and drain
1/2 cup icing sugar
Juice of 2 limes

Pre heat oven to 160 oC
Line and grease a 23 cm spring for cake tin

Beat the sugar and sunflower oil together for 1 min then add the eggs and beat for a futher 2 mins until light and fluffy.
Add the flour and other dry ingredients, mix for a minute then fold in the grated carrot and fruit.
Transfer into cake tin and bake in oven for 35 to 40 mins.
When cake is cooling make a lime drizzle by wisking lime and sugar together. Drizzle over cake slice and enjoy.