Homemade Tootsie Rolls

I think that if you have been reading this blog for any length of time you will agree that I love sweet stuff...lot and lots of sweet stuff. Chocolate comes very high on my list, however nothing comes close to my love for TOOTSIE ROLLS!!!

I remember my very first one like it was yesterday...it was in October 1995 and my parents and sister had just returned home from a holiday in American, bearing a rather alarmingly large bag of Tootsie rolls as a gift for me. I was enthralled by the soft chewy texture, the slightly cocoa taste, with a hint of orange, a most unusual sweet and nothing like I had ever tasted before. I don't know if any Irish sweets come close in taste really but I was hooked. I don't know if it's wise for me having access to this recipe, I will try to make them on very special occasions (a rainy Tuesday, for example!!) To me these are a perfect replica....Enjoy!

Makes 22-24 pieces 

½ cup Honey
6 tbsp Cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp Vanilla extract (or Orange essence if you can)
1 tbsp Butter, melted
¼ cup Icing sugar, sifted
Pinch of salt
1 1¼ cup *Dried powdered skimmed milk

Spray oil
Silicone paper

*Powdered milk should be very fine. If your powdered milk is lumpy or coarse, run it through a food processor or at best sieved it before using.

Method

In a large bowl, combine honey, cocoa powder and vanilla using a whisk. 

Add the melted butter and whisk until well incorporated. Add in the icing sugar and pinch of salt; whisk again until well combined.

Using a wooden spoon, mix in the instant milk powder ¼ cup at a time until a dough forms. When you can no longer stir the mixture with a spoon, knead  it with your hands. Keep adding in milk powder until a firm dough forms. You may not have to use all the milk powder. The finished dough should be firm and a little sticky but not so sticky that you can’t handle it. 

Roll the dough into a ball and place on waxed paper lightly sprayed with cooking oil. Let dough rest uncovered on the wax paper for 5-10 minutes. As the tootsie dough stands it will relax from a ball shape into a disc. Cut sweets into 1cm  strips and then into 5cm lengths. If it sticks to the knife, spray it with cooking oil or coat it with butter.Cut silicone paper into 9cm x 15cm pieces. 

Wrap Tootsie rolls with the silicone paper pieces. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Heaven.....

Recipe with thanks to Heather Baird of Food 52 

Lorraine Pascale's Last Minute Mince Pies

 

It's six sleeps to Christmas and I'm playing catch up!! Last week I caught the dreaded flu, yuck! It was pretty awful, I spent days on end with a fever, too weak to walk and then to top it all off I got a chest infection!! 

So to say that my Christmas plans were put on hold is a understatement. I had huge plans for baking, blogging, card writing and shopping, alas all stopped! Now thanks to a large vat of antibiotics and plenty of rest I am recovering and back on track(ish).

If like me you are either out of time or just want really tasty and quick mince pies then this a post you might enjoy. I watched  Lorraine Pascale make these rather special star mince pies on her Last Minute Christmas Show last year, these are perfect for entertaining and are ready in a jiffy. The job will be even quicker if you buy sheets of ready rolled puff pastry (which I did), I'm planning on making plenty of batches of these this year......Enjoy!

Hallowe'en Apple Pops

 

These easy party apple pops are an alternative to the traditional toffee apples. I love to dot these around the party table, the surprise on the children's faces when they realise that it's apple (or pear if you prefer) is priceless. It's hasn't stopped anyone yet eating the lot and begging for more!

If you are planning a party then this Pumpkin Cake is the prefect centre piece. Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Fresh Custard

This really quick and easy fresh custard is just brilliant, I use it on all my desserts. However it is really tasty on it's own too. The original recipe is for a microwave oven, so feel free to click the link below if it's you preferred choice.

Recipe adapted from All Recipes

Makes roughly 600ml

Ingredients
40g Cornflour
50g Caster sugar
450ml milk
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
50g Butter
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Method
Combine cornflour and sugar in a medium sized saucepan.

Gradually whisk in milk. Place on a medium heat, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring continuously until thick and shiny. Remove from the heat and gradually beat half the hot cornflour mixture into the eggs - this prevents the eggs from curdling. Transfer the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisk and return to the heat.

Whisking continuously cook over a medium heat until warmed through. Do not boil. 

Whisk in butter and vanilla. Serve immediately.

Donal Skehan's Banana Bread with Rich Fudge Frosting

I'm addicted to this bread! It all started when I won a copy of Donal's latest book Kitchen Hero: Great Food for less from my good friends at Irish Food Bloggers Association. Oh how I danced for joy when it arrived in the post, I nearly kissed the postman!!
All joking aside, this is a brilliant cookbook, I have been feeding my family from it since. It is photographed to perfection (what else would you expect from Donal), the recipes are mouth watering and varied.
I recently made the "Indian Chicken and Rice Bake" for my mother, whereupon she asked for the recipe and made it for lunch the following Sunday.
This book is crammed with money saving tips, using leftovers ideas and delightful recipes, that will have your family asking for more.
This bread has become a firm favourite in this house, because it's so light and moist, I gave a friend of mind a loaf  at the school gate last week and she's just loved it too.

Donal says:
This recipe comes from my auntie Ann who spent a lot of time in America over the years and has picked up some really great US inspired recipes. This banana bread is deliciously moist and is extremely easy to throw together. I add a little sliced banana on top before it goes into the oven, but if you want you sprinkle some nuts on top or even stir some chopped ones through.

 

Makes 2 loaves

 

Ingredients
110g Butter, plus extra for greasing
190g Caster sugar
2 Large free-range eggs
240g Self raising flour, sifted
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
3 Large bananas
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

 

For the fudge topping

220g Soft dark brown sugar

35g Butter

75ml milk

1tbsp Single cream

 

Method
Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 4. grease two 900g (2lb) loaf tin. Cream the sugar and the butter in a bowl with a hand held mixer until light and pale.

 

 

 

 

Add one egg and a little flour and mix through.

 

 

 

 

Repeat with the other egg, the rest of flour and bicarbonate of soda, mixing until everything is combined and smooth. Peel the bananas and mash with the back of a fork.

 

 

 

 

Add to the bowl with the vanilla extract and mix through. Divide the mixture between the two loaf tins and place in the middle shelf of the oven for approximately 50 minutes.

 

 

 

 

If you need to, you can cover it with tinfoil after 25 minutes to stop it browning too much on top(really important that you do this). Insert a metal skewer into the centre of each loaf; if it comes out clean the banana bread is ready.

 

 

 

 

Remove from the tins and place on a wire rack to cool.

 

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Place over a medium-high heat and stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Then cook without stirring for 10-15 minutes until a teaspoonful of mixture forms a soft ball when it is dropped in cold water. Put the topping into a small bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm, then beat until it begins to thicken. Add the cream a little at a time and continue beating until you have a spreading consistency. Spread onto the loaves straight away and enjoy a generous slice with a big cup of tea.

 

(I always have leftover bananas, so I've being experimenting and this recipe. The recipe above will make 13 large muffins or 18 buns. Make as above and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. These are great lunchbox fillers)

 

 

 

Roast Pumpkin Soup with Bacon

Now that Halloween is approaching it's time to enjoy the vast array of vegetables that are in season. This time of year evokes memories of golden leaves scattered on the footpath and being settled into a school routine. But most of all it reminds me of piping hot meals, that warm me right through and are easy to make and not in the slightest bit fussy. This is a beautiful soup that has a sweetness to it unlike any other, I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did.  

Recipe adapted from  Tesco Homegrown Recipe Book

Serves 6

Ingredients
1kg Pumpkin peeled or 1 large butternut squash, unpeeled
1 Onion cut into wedges
3 Cloves garlic, unpeeled
Oil for drizzling
125g Pancetta or smoked bacon pieces
400ml Chicken stock
250ml Milk

Method
Heat the oven to 200C/ 180C Fan/Gas Mark 6. Cut the pumpkin or squash into 3cm slices; remove the seeds. 





Put the pumpkin onto a baking tray with the onion wedges and garlic, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 20 minutes. Add the pancetta (keep in a separate corner of the baking tray). Bake for a further 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft inside and brown around the edges. Reserve the pancetta.





Remove the pumpkin skin, place the flesh in a food processor along with the onions and garlic (squeeze with garlic from each of the cloves). Add the stock and milk. Blend until smooth, add a little extra milk if needed.





Place in a pan, season and heat to taste, and serve with pancetta, crispy bread and easy homemade butter.





Related Reading:
Good Food, Shared: Butternut squash soup
Bord bia: Calender of availability guide for fruit and vegetables.

Lorraine Pascale's Peanut Butter Squares

Lorraine Pascale is one of my favourite chef's, I really enjoyed watching her recent show on BBC One, Fast, Fresh and Easy Food series. This is a no bake recipe, which involves very little effort, my kind of recipe! Apart from melting chocolate, which lets face it is not an unpleasant job, is easy enough for children to make.
Lorraine says: I was recipe testing some millionaire’s shortbread and found I did not have enough of the correct ingredients. A family-sized pot of crunchy peanut butter sat almost full at the back of my cupboard, providing me with some nutty inspiration for these peanut butter squares.

Recipe compliments of BBC food.

Makes 16 (or more in may case!!)

Ingredients
150g Butter
200g Dark chocolate or milk chocolate (or a mixture of both)
250g Digestive biscuits
200g Soft light brown sugar
300g  Crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Method
Line a 20cm/8in square tin with baking parchment, leaving some excess paper hanging over the edges (this makes it easier to lift out once set). Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat. I use a silicone square baking tin, very handy.

Snap the chocolate into squares and throw into a small bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring well between each addition or sit the bowl over a pan over simmering water. Make sure that the bottom of the pan does not touch the water or the chocolate may ‘seize’ and go really grainy and stiff.

Blitz the digestive biscuits and brown sugar in a blender or food processor to give fine crumbs.

Tip them into the melted butter. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract and mix together so everything is well combined.

Tip the mixture into the lined tin and press it down really hard with the back of the spoon. It needs to be really compact and tight.

Then pour over the melted chocolate, tilting the tin back and forth a bit so that the whole thing is evenly covered. Pop in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up (or the fridge for an hour). Once the chocolate is set, remove it from the freezer (or fridge). Lift it out of the tin with the help of the baking parchment.

Remove the paper and then use a sharp knife to divide it into 16 squares and serve (I let it almost come to room temperature before cutting)

To store: I tweeted Lorraine (@lorrainepascale), asking her how to store these little delights, she kindly replied "chill, then pull out of fridge 15mins or so before you need them so they aren't too hard "

Oven Baked Fish Goujons with Tartare Sauce

  

I regularly buy bags of frozen Basa fish in my local Aldi, cause I just love it! However I got tired of only using it in my fish pies , I needed to find another recipe, something that wasn't too fussy. Now I just love fish goujons, but I have no deep fat fryer (by choice) and I didn't think that I could make them without it. A little research on the old tinter net, told me otherwise. So here it is, oven baked goujons with homemade tartare sauce. I think they are finger lickin' good and the paprika gives it that little something special.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients
Goujons:
300g Skinless Basa fish
90g Fresh breadcrumbs
70g Butter, melted
Seasoning
Pinch of paprika (optional)

Tartare Sauce
100g Mayonnaise (I use light mayonnaise or sometimes greek yoghurt)
25g Gerkins, roughly chopped
½ Clove garlic, crushed
Lemon, grated zest
Juice ½ lemon
10g Capers, drained (I use Tesco Nonapareille Capers)
Pepper


Method
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with tin foil and spray/brush with oil. Dry the fish in kitchen roll, cut into 2cm cubes.

Place the breadcrumbs into a wide bottomed dish, season with salt, pepper and the paprika (if using). Mix in the seasoning. Pour the melted butter into a bowl.





Dip each piece of fish into the butter and then the breadcrumbs. Lay on a the prepared baking tray.





Bake the fish for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.

While the fish is baking, prepare the tartare sauce: combine all of the ingredients and season to taste with pepper. You shouldn't need any salt as the capers are quite salty.





Serve with the fish goujons and a wedge of lemon.

Related Reading
 Wikipedia: All you need to know about Basa Fish
Wikipedia: Useless facts about Tartar or Tartare Sauce





Pisst...I have a little secret, but only if you promise not to tell...my son and daughter eat these thinking that they are chicken nuggets!!

Oven Baked Crab Claws

 

 

 

My weekend consisted of sneezing, coughing and Olbas oil burners dotted around the house! Myself and the children had caught our usual back to school sniffles, so when my husband landed home with a large bag of crab claws, things started to look up.

Now I have to admit that I'm not a shell fish expert, so I decided to enquire how to cook these tasty morsels from my sister-in-law, she suggested oven baking them or boil them "toe first" for 10-15 minutes.

 

Serves 2-3

 

Ingredients

8 Brown crab legs (male if you can get them, they're bigger)

Melted butter

Garlic bread

 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C, line a large tray with tin foil. Was the legs briefly in a colander under running water, to remove any grime from the shell.

 

 

 

 

Lay on the baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes (I cooked the bigger the claws for 15 minutes). Allow to cool slightly before handling.

 

 

 

 

Crack open with a hammer, gently remove the white meat (with a small fork or spoon) and dip in the melted butter, serve with garlic bread.

 



Related Reading

• BBC Food: Buying guide, preparation and recipes.
• Irish Independent:  Crab claws its way up popularity charts by Rozanne Stevens - May 2010

Spinach and Mushroom Pasta

Popeye was onto something with spinach, I've taken a leaf (sorry about the pun!) out of his book recently and fallen in love with it too. It is full of iron, rich in vitamin C and dietary fibre, a winner all round. This is a super quick meal that will only take about 15 minutes to throw together and it is ideal for a mid week fix.

Serves 2
 Ingredients
200g Mushrooms, sliced
1tbsp Butter
2 Cloves garlic, crushed
200g Spaghetti pasta
200ml Double cream
1 Chicken stock cube
200g Spinach, frozen

Method
Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Meanwhile heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the butter, just as the butter starts to foam, add the mushrooms. Fry until they are golden brown. Pour the cream into the pan along with the garlic and half a chicken stock cube, bring to the boil for 2 minutes. Add the frozen spinach to the pan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the spinach is cooked.

Drain the pasta and add to your creamy spinach mixture, stir until it is coated with the creamy mixture. Serve immediately, I had leftover french bread so I made some Garlic Bread too.

Cheat's Posh Dessert!!

We were in our local SuperValu cafe this week having a spot of lunch, when this beautiful dessert caught my eye. It looked and tasted really delicious (they were divine), but what was best of all is how simple it is to put together. This will be a show stopper the next time I'm cooking for friends. If you are really short on time, this will be just as dramitic with good quality shop bought cookies and ready whipped cream, and I suggest that you use the chocolate ice cream sauce that sets when it's poured over ice cream, it will drizzle easier and stay put!!

Serves 4

Ingredients

12 Chunky chocolate chip cookies

250ml Whipping cream

2tsp Caster sugar

Chocolate ice cream sauce

Icing sugar to dust

Method

Whip the cream and sugar until it is at the soft peak stage. Insert a medium sized star nozzle into your piping bag and fill the piping bag with the cream.

Pipe a small rosette in the centre of your presentation plate, this will stop the whole creation sliding off the plate!!

Set a cookie on top of the rosette and press down firmly, pipe a swirl of cream onto the cookie.



Continue to layer until you have a tower of three cookies.

Drizzle with the chocolate sauce and then dust with the icing sugar. This will keep in the fridge for 1-2 hours but the cookies will become very soft if left too long.