EASTER RECEPIES

Good day Bloggets. A different Easter for us. The first one without my Son. I hurt so much without him, but I have my Husband.

The knowledge that he will be with me every night from now on. This was my wish and has come true. Now Hub is listening to Songs of praise on the telly. All the poems and hymns from Cathedrals but the pain I feel of the loss of the absence of my child is horrible.

I don’t think my Son has had much of an Easter, as from what he has told me in texts.

As for ours? We didn’t do a roast this year, but we had a nice meal of homemade tomato and basil soup and Focaccia bread with fresh tomatoes on parmesan cheese and black pepper all hot from the oven and delicious Simnel cake. Yummy.

So do you have Simnel cake in your country? Simnel cake has been eaten since medieval times as both a rich, sweet treat and a symbolic ritual. The fruit cake is topped with eleven marzipan balls to represent the eleven apostles of Christ, minus Judas.

Here are some Easter recipies

Simnel cake

For the almond paste

• 250g/9oz caster sugar
• 250g/9oz  ground almonds
• 2 free-range  eggs
• 1 tsp  almond essence
• For the cake
• 175g/6oz  butter
• 175g/6oz soft  brown sugar
• 3 free-range  eggs
• 175g/6oz  plain flour
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tsp ground  mixed spice
• 350g/12oz mixed  raisins currants and sultanas
• 55g/2oz chopped mixed peel
• ½ lemon, grated zest
• 1-2 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 free-range egg

Preparation method

1.     For the almond paste, place the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl. Add enough beaten egg and mix to a fairly soft consistency.

2.     Add the almond essence and knead for one minute until the paste is smooth and pliable

3.     Roll out a third of the almond paste to make a circle 18cm/7in in diameter and reserve the remainder for the cake topping.

 

Preheat oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1. Grease and line a 18cm/7in cake tin For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs until well incorporated and then sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice (if using) a little at a time. Finally, add the mixed dried fruit, peel and grated lemon zest and stir into the mixture.

Put half the mixture into a greased and lined 18cm/7in cake tin. Smooth the top and cover with the circle of almond paste. Add the rest of the cake mixture and smooth the top leaving a slight dip in the centre to allow for the cake to rise. Bake in the preheated oven for 1¾ hours. Test by inserting a skewer in the middle - if it comes out clean, it is ready. Once baked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack

1. Brush the top of the cooled cake with the apricot jam. Divide the remainder of the almond paste in half; roll out a circle to cover the top of the cake with one half and form 11 small balls with the other half.

Place the circle of paste on the jam glaze and set the balls round the edge. Brush the cake topping with a little beaten egg

1.     Preheat the grill to high. Place the cake onto a baking tray and grill for 1-2 minutes, or until the top of the marzipan begins to brown. Alternatively, lightly heat the cake topping using a cook's blow torch, until the marzipan is golden-brown.

 

These recipies are  from Good Food magazine,

Hot crossed bun ring with spiced honey butter

• 300ml whole milk
• zest 1 orange
• 50g butter, cubed
• 500g strong white flour, plus 140g for the crosses, and extra for dusting
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 85g golden caster sugar
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 large egg, beaten, plus 1 egg to glaze
• oil, for greasing
• 100g dr mixed fruit

For the spiced honey butter

• 200g salted butter, softened
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 4 tbs clear honey

·          Tip

Glazing your buns

We’ve glazed our buns with beaten egg as they tend to burn in the toaster if glazed with jam. However, if you want a super-shiny finish, glaze with sieved apricot jam once you remove the buns from the oven. Just make sure you toast them under the grill, to prevent burning

Method

1. Warm the milk and orange zest in a small saucepan until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan until the butter has melted and the milk has cooled to hand temperature.
2. Mix the flour, cinnamon, sugar, yeast and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Pour in the milk mixture and the beaten egg, and mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture clumps together. Tip out onto your work surface and knead until smooth and elastic – the dough should bounce back when pressed with your finger. Transfer to a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave to rise for 2 hrs or until doubled in size.
3. Dust your largest baking tray with flour. Tip the dough back onto your work surface and knead again to knock out any air bubbles. Add the dried fruit and knead to incorporate into the dough. Divide the dough into 11 equal pieces. Roll each lump of dough into a smooth ball. Arrange the balls on your tray in a ring, leaving a small gap between each one. Cover loosely with a piece of cling film and leave somewhere warm to prove again for a further 1 hr or until doubled in size, the buns should be just touching.
4. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Brush the buns with a little beaten egg. Mix the remaining flour with enough water to make a thick paste, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle, or use a sandwich bag and snip off one corner. Use the paste to pipe crosses over the buns – this is easiest if you pipe in one big circle, then put a line across the middle of each bun. Bake for 25 mins until golden and cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, make the spiced honey butter. Put the butter, spices and honey in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. When the buns are cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins on the baking tray. Serve the bun ring warm with the butter in the centre for spreading. The buns will keep for up to 3 days in a tin or freeze for up to 3 months.

Now are you ready to cook? As for me? Hmm. A visit to M&S I think. X