Hot Cross Bacon Butties Recipe

If you're looking for the ultimate Easter Sunday breakfast recipe, this is a delicious twist on the classic Hot Cross Bun.


The lovely team at Sainsbury's delivered a load of these Hot Cross Bacon Butties to my office this week and they went down an absolute treat! The fruity sweetness of the bun contrast again the smokey bacon is a real treat - I enjoyed it so much I had two!


To make them yourself simply follow the below:

Serves: 4
 | Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 25 mins

8 x Sainsbury’s Unsmoked Reduced Salt Back Bacon | 4 x TTD Hot Cross Buns

Preheat the oven to 200c/180c fan/gas mark 6. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Line a baking sheet with foil (this makes cleanup easier) and place a wire rack on top. Lay the bacon on the rack in a single layer, not letting it overlap.

Transfer the bacon to the oven and bake until the bacon is deep golden- brown and crispy, about 18 to 20 minutes, turning over halfway.

Remove the bacon from the oven and use tongs to transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and finish crisping.

Slice the hot cross buns in half and toast. Serve each bun, with or without butter, with two strips of bacon inside.

Add a little twist with Sainsbury’s to your Easter feast. Find out more here.

Oolong Chocolate Chai

Chai is the kind of drink that nourishes you. In the bleak and cold month of January, you might need one most when you're busy, tired, stressed or to simply see you through the day.

The spicy drink we think of when we hear the word chai is inspired by masala chai, and has milk, spices, and often honey added. But, it doesn't have to take a whole afternoon to make a perfect spicy brew.

 There's no need to slave away over the hob brewing spices for you chai hit, as I recently discovered T2's Oolong Chocolate Chai: a chocolatey, cinnamony tea combination laced with pepper. An intriguing sweet, bright and spicy flavour, once mixed with creamy milk I've found it's THE answer to a bad day.

I add 1 tsp of the mixture per 250mls of water and leave to infuse for for 3-6 mins - you can either drink it as it is, or add a splash in milk.

For those of you wanting to make classic chai, follow the below video: 

A Simple, Yet Delicious, Brunch

Last week I popped down to Turnips in Borough Market to pick up some Jerusalem artichokes, when I spotted their seasonal mushroom boxes. 

Unable to resist temptation, I ended up with one in my basket. In the past I've used the mushrooms in slow cooked beef stews - however this weekend I lazily fried them up and served on bread. 

Keeping the dish simple let the flavour shine through, whilst also allowing you to whip it up in a matter of minuets. For an experiment, I was pretty pleased with the results. 

 

To make this yourself: roughly cut the mushrooms, strip the rosemary and throw into a non-stick pan.

 Add a large knob of butter and fry - season to taste with salt and pepper - and drizzle with a generous helping of double cream.

Ladle onto toasted tiger bread and finish with a spoonful of Sacla's Truffle Pesto to add a pungent autumnal taste. 

Et voila - a rustic start to the day which is sure to keep you full until lunchtime.

Lucy Bee Quinoa Flake Pancakes

Last week I attended the launch of Lucy Bee's new recipe book, Cooking with Coconut Oil.

Hitingt shelves on 24th September, it's the first cookbook published in the UK that celebrates coconut oil. Bursting with over 100 delicious and easy-to-make recipes to tempt and inspire you, the book also includes a chapter explaining how to use coconut oil in your beauty régime.

My favourite recipe is the Quinao Pancakes - they're super easy to make and only take 10 minuets to prepare and cook (just whiz up the ingredients in a blender and fry!).

You can also substitue the quinoa flakes for buckwheat flour (despite the name this actually a fruit seed and is gluten-free) or oats, but I found the quinoa kept me fuller for longer.



Preparation Time 5 minutes - Cooking Time 6 minutes - Serves 1

Ingredients
1 banana, 2 eggs, 40g quinoa flakes, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 tsp. Lucy Bee Coconut Oil. 

Method
Put the bananas, egg, quinoa flakes and cinnamon in a blender and blend together.
Melt the coconut oil in a small frying pan, then pour in the pancake mixture in batches to make small pancakes. 

Fry for 3 minutes on each side until cooked through.
Serve with a selection of toppings.

Topping Suggestions
Walnuts and pumpkin seeds with cinnamon and Manuka honey
Greek yoghurt with fruit
Banana, peanut butter and cacao nibs
Salted Chocolate Almond Butter
Almond milk, cacao and Manuka honey (blended together to make a sauce) with berries
Lemon juice with coconut sugar
Greek yoghurt with Healthy Seed Mix 

No-Fuss Lemon Meringue Tart

 

I have to admit I'm not a good baker. In fact, I'm pretty terrible at making desserts. 

Faced with the prospect of a three course dinner party at the weekend, I roped in the help of my friend David to help me tackle pudding. 

I was recently sent a jar of luxury lemon curd, so decided to make a lemon meringue tart (using ready-made ingredients isn't cheating - it's resourceful, right?!).

We made a pastry case (I followed this recipe) however mine came out rather cracked/dry so if recommend you to buy a ready-made one if you're not a keen baker. 

We filled the case with zesty lemon curd and added dried lavender (remember lavender is potent, so start with a pinch and work up from there).

[TIP - I recently learnt that fresh lavender can be substituted in most savoury recipes that call for rosemary - just use twice as much lavender as rosemary.]

The hardest part of the recipe was the meringue - after separating eggs and adding sugar/vanilla paste, David spent hours whisking the mixture in 29 degree heat as we didn't have an electronic whisk (somehow I don't think he'll be making it again...). 

We finished the tart by piping the meringue over the filling and lightly toasting the outside with a blow tourch.

And voila, a sweet sign-off to our main meal whipped up in no time at all.

Two Easy (But Utterly Delicious) Dinner Party Starters

Yesterday Russell and I invited a few friends over to see our new home.

Having worried about dinner party menus in the past, and then over-complicating them, we decided to serve a really simple (but tasty) starter to keep things simple.

We decided to serve two dishes: beef carpaccio and Parmesan with truffle honey.



A few hours before our guests arrived we visited our local butcher down the high street.

Carpaccio is usually seared on the outside and then thinly sliced - however knowing my knife set at home wasn't up for the job, we asked our butcher to prepare the meat for us to serve it raw.

We decided on sirloin steak, which worked out at a reasonable £15 for 5 people, and at home I flattened the slices with a rolling pin. We then garnished with olive oil, Maldon sea salt, capers and basil - et voila!



The second dish we prepared was Parmesan cheese and truffle honey.

I had a slab of cheese from Milan that somehow managed to survive nibble-free. We sliced that up and simply drizzled white truffle infused honey and garnished with peppery rocket.

The key to serving a simple dish is to ensure the ingredients are of good quality. With a little imagination and some swift moves, you can turn any dish into a show stopper.

The definitive guide to Making Matcha

Could you swap your morning latte for green tea? Surprisingly, Matcha has the caffeine kick of a latte but the antioxidants of a superfood.

A little green when it comes to the matcha making process? Read on...

Famed for its lingering, sweet taste and abundance of antioxidants, Japanese matcha is one tea that needs to be on your radar. The health benefits of matcha tea exceed those of green tea because when you drink matcha you ingest the whole leaf, not just the brewed water -
one bowl of matcha is equivalent to approximately 10 cups of regular green tea.

Having visited the opened on T2's 6th UK store in regent street, I learnt the below method which produces smooth Matcha tea in just a few minuets.

Matcha Tea

Ingredients: Matcha and Water 

1. Heat your matcha bowl the same way you’d heat your teapot (swirl hot water around the sides while cupping the bowl in your hands).
2. Take a Matcha Scoop of matcha powder and place in the bowl. Note: the bigger the scoop, the stronger the brew.
3. Fill your bowl with the equivalent of three mouthfuls (approximately 150ml) of 80°C / 176°F water.
4. Take Matcha Whisk and gently tap the mixture to break up any lumps.
5. Hold your wrist vertically above the bowl and whisk the mixture in a W or M shape until you start to see froth (it’s not to dissolve the matcha, it’s just to froth it).
6. Pop any large bubbles that can be seen in the froth - try to get some froth in each cup as this adds a nice texture to the experience.

Iced Matcha:

  Follow steps 1 to 6. Slice a lemon into 3 - 4 slices and place into a jug filled with ice. Pour in the Matcha and top up with Soda Water.

Matcha Latte: 

Follow steps 1-6. Add 1 tsp of honey top up with vanilla soy milk (in quantities to suit your taste).

The Video | Great Blogger Breakfast Off | Amanda Holden | Alpen

 

Last month I participated in Alpen's Great Blogger Breakfast Off with Amanda Holden (you can read more about it here).

At long last, the video is now live!

I'm a bit gutted they only announced who ranked first (because I was miraculously placed 2nd, haha).

You can find my recipe here and Amanda's morning tips here.

Enjoy!

Great Blogger Breakfast Off | Amanda Holden | Alpen

By now you may have seen Amanda Holden's new advert with Alpen, encouraging the nation to try something new in the morning as part of Alpen's '21 Ways To Start Your Day' campaign

To celebrate everything breakfast related, a few weeks ago I joined Amanda and the Alpen team to compete in the Great Blogger Breakfast Off.

Facing three other bloggers, I was challenged to create a new breakfast treat using Alpen. I decided upon Morning Muesli Muffins, which went down well - however I won't reveal where I come in the competition until the video is release (eeek!).



In the morning I'm always too blurry eyed to measure exact measurements, however if you'd like to recreate my recipe (for 12 muffins) you'll need:

• 250g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• A good drizzle of honey
• 100g of your favourite Alpen
• 2 eggs
• 50g natural yogurt
• 5tbspn sunflower or vegetable oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.
• Line a muffin tray with 12 cases.
• Sift the flour, Alpen and baking powder into a large bowl.
• In another bowl combine all the remaining ingredients until well combined.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Divide the mixture between the muffin cases.
• Bake for 20 mins or until golden and well risen.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
• Decorate with a spoonful of natural yogurt and a sprinkle of Alpen.

Amanda's morning tips are available to view here.

Whitley Neill Gin | African Sundowner Cocktail recipe

A few week's ago I vistied Bunny Chow in Soho to try South African street food for the very first time.

Served alongside the delicious food were exotic cocktails made with Whitley Neill Gin.

Distilled in small batches by Johnny Neill himself, the spirit contains 9 botanicals inspired by Africa to give hints of juniper, citrus, pot pourri and exotic spices.

The gin offers a very smooth drink with a subtle fade of herbs, cocoa and candied lemon peels - the perfect tipple on a warm and dry summer's day. 

Below is the recipe to my favourite cockatil of the night (pictured below left). 

African Sundowner

1 shot of Whitley Neill Gin
1 shot of triple sec
2.5 shots of orange juice
Topped with soda

Glass: Sling Glass
Garnish: Mint & Grapefruit
Method: Build over ice

Quorn Thai Curry Recipe

Serves 10 Ingredients Marinade 1 tbsp 1 tbsp 2 tbsp 500g Sauce 1 tbsp 400g 4 1 tbsp 60g 1 tbsp 1½ tbsp 1 2 x 400g 3 tbsp 30g 350g 200g vegetable oil korma paste vegetarian Thai green curry paste Quorn Pieces vegetable oil onion, peeled and chopped garlic cloves, peeled and chopped fresh grated ginger fresh coriander fresh, frozen or dried lime leaves (optional) turmeric vegetable stock cube, crumbled tin coconut milk sweet mango chutney fresh basil red peppers, thinly sliced mangetout or sugar snaps, halved

Method

1. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl until the Quorn is coated. Transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. To prepare the sauce heat the oil in a pan then gently fry the chopped onion, garlic and ginger for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.

3. Add half of the coriander, the lime leaves, turmeric, stock cube, coconut milk, and mango chutney. Gently bring to the boil then simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add the basil and remaining coriander to the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking time then remove the pan from the heat and blend until smooth with a hand blender.

4. Meanwhile transfer the marinated Quorn pieces to a baking tray and cook in a moderate oven 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.
5. Add the Quorn pieces, red pepper and mangetout to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked.

Tip: this curry also works really well using Quorn fillets torn by hand or sliced in chunky pieces.

BBQ Pulled Quorn and pink coleslaw recipe

Last week I joined Quorn UK at The Underground Cookery School to find out more about their products and learn how to cook with them.

Growing up my family would enjoy Quorn in family meals such as Spaghetti Bolognese as my sister is vegetarian and it made it easier for my mum to cook. However, after I moved out I stopped buying Quorn products  (with exception of buying the off pack of 'scotch eggs' for when my sister visited).



I was stunned to find out that Quorn contains 90% less fat and sat fat than the same amount of lean beef mince, 50% less calories and 500% times the fibre.

Swapping surely is a no brainier, right? Having spoken to my boyfriend, he explained the main reason why he's not too keen on 'making the swap' is because he believes it compromises on flavour.

At the event I discovered I had been cooking with Quorn wrong the whole time! Quorn is a great flavour absorber, and to ensure your food is tasty, you must marinate it first - something I had never done. 

This revolution has resulted in lots of delicious recipes, including curries, Shepard's pie and even 'pulled pork' style buns. I've posted the recipe below, and will be following up with others soon. Enjoy, and thank me later!

Ingredients for 10 

10 Quorn fillets, defrosted
200ml BBQ sauce
10 bread buns

Coleslaw
150g white cabbage, finely shredded
150g red cabbage, finely shredded
150g carrots, grated
100g red onion, finely chopped
4tbsp mayonnaise, low fat variety or natural yogurt
1tsp Dijon mustard (optional)

Method:
1. Cover the Quorn fillets with the BBQ sauce. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.



2. Mix together all the coleslaw ingredients and season to taste, chill until required.



3. Tip the Quorn onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180C/Gas Mark 4 or until core temperature is reached.



4. Divide the coleslaw between the buns. Shred the Quorn fillets and fill buns with all ingredients.

Thanks to Preston Perfect Photography for providing some of these images.