General Chat

We have decided to have anything but turkey, we virtually had to take a mortgage out last year....!!!

Both Christmad Cakes now cooked so will ice them in a couple of weeks in the meantime I will continue to feed them.
Mince pies next even though they are not my favourite.
Anyone cooking something different this year?

Bridget :-D

Thanks Sharron

Sort of hot.

Bung it in when the oven is on for something else.

Thanks Sharron, I do hate peeling them. Bake at what temp?

If you are using a butternut you just need to bake it whole fo about twenty minutes.Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds.Cut it up without trying to skin it and proceed from there.

Never mind stuffing mushrooms,life is too short to peel a butternut squash!

Sharron, I like the sound of the soup so will give that a try, probably using butternut squash.

Congratulations Sharron, you are the first person on the milestone of 40 pages...I never dreamt that we would go this far when I started Culinary Delights.
Now I have to think of a recipe to add!
Usually around this time we start to think of Christmas and new Recipies to consider the Christmas and New Year.
We are out for Christmas. I would appreciate something for Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, something slightly unusual or good old favourites with a twist??

:-D

When he was out and about somebody gave my old dad a squash. It looked like a marrow but was round.

Havingput it off long enough,we cut it today. It was a bit firmer than a vegetable marrow but this pie I am about to describe is also good made with a marrow.

Cut the flesh into cubes,simmer in a bit of water and sugar or sweetener with some raisins or sultanas,ground ginger, lemon juice until it is fairly soft but still cubes. You can use clove as well,or,indeed,anything else that floats your boat.

Line a pie dish, tip the pumpkin in,put the top on and bake it like an apple pie.


I made some soup too.
Sweat two or three chopped onions in whatever you cook with.I used a bit of butter and some olive oil.
Cut the squash into cubes and sweat that with the onion.
A couple of green Oxos.
Top up the pan with water and simmer until the squash is soft,
Liquidize and put through a sieve.
There is virtually no waste with this soup.

Sometimes I don't peel squashes for soup and sometimes I bake them for a bit before I cut them up.
I find it quite important to put them through a sieve though because any fibre detracts badly from the texture.

AnninGlos

Thanks for all the alternatives I will make the cake during the weekend.

At last it has stopped raining in my part of Spain! :-D

Bridget, don't know if this will help

our Cream Substitutions and Equivalents
There are many substitutes for sour cream, depending on the recipe and your specific needs. Yogurt is an excellent substitute for sour cream in most recipes, but keep in mind it is thinner in texture. Thicken yogurt by draining through a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Substitute one of the following for each 1 cup of sour cream:

• For baking: 7/8 cup buttermilk or sour milk plus 3 tablespoons butter.

• For baking: 1 cup yogurt plus 1 teaspoon baking soda.

• For baking: 3/4 cup sour milk plus 1/3 cup butter.

• For baking: 3/4 cup buttermilk plus 1/3 cup butter.

• Cooked sauces: 1 cup yogurt plus 1 tablespoon flour plus 2 teaspoons water.

• Cooked sauces: 1 cup evaporated milk plus 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken.

• Dips: 1 cup yogurt (drain through a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 30 minutes in the refrigerator for a thicker texture).

• Dips: 1 cup cottage cheese plus 1/4 cup yogurt or buttermilk, briefly whirled in a blender.

• Dips: 6 ounces cream cheese plus 3 tablespoons milk, briefly whirled in a blender.

• Lower fat: 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice plus 2 tablespoons skim milk, whipped until smooth in a blender.

• Lower fat: 1 can chilled evaporated milk whipped with 1 teaspoon lemon juice.

Greenfingers
I have all the ingredients except the soured cream! I am so cross as it is pouring down and the weather for caste is awful. Would cream be OK?
Or could I use plain yogurt? Just a thought
Bother bother bother!!

:-(

Greenfingers

Many thanks for the recipe.......OH is delighted that your cake has inspired me.
I will check that I have the items required and then make the cake. May be a day or two before I can do this .

Just had some people view our house and keeping our fingers crossed..it would be the best Christmas b present for me.

:-D

Choc Guiness cake...you will never taste better !!

In a pan slowly melt 250g cut up butter with 250 ml Guiness. Then in a bowl put 400g caster sugar with 75 g cocoa, pour in guiness mix. In another bowl beat together 142 ml soured cream with 2 eggs and 1 tbsp vanilla extract, then add this to the guiness mix.Beat in with 275g plain flour and 2 1/2 tsp bicarb. Line a 23 cm springform cake tin, then pour in mixture...it is very liquid. Cook at 170oC fan oven for approx 45-1hour.LEAVE IN THE TIN TILL COMPLETELY COOL. will freeze at this point. It is a very light cake.
TOPPING

300g philly cheese and 150g icing sugar beat together and spread over the top of the cake....serves about 12

NB I would say that 1 bottle of guiness and 300g soured cream make 2 cakes.
So you could do two and freeze one, either whole or in slices.

ENJOY

Thank you Jan for your Recipies. I will definetly make these and will tell you the outcome.
B :-)

easy chicken liver pate

oven at 200o C put 500g chicken livers in a roasting pan dot with 2 1/2 oz butter and pour over either port or madeira, I didn't measure just sprinkled over, then chop tarragon and sprinkle over, Roast for about 5 mins until cooked on outside and still pink inside. Blend in processor with juices and 8 oz butter till it is smooth. Line a 1lb loaf tin with cling film (or those new non stick cake liners) Then pour in pate, smooth top and then put on top 2 bay leaves, fresh rosemary and thyme. Pour over 2 oz melted and clarified butter. Chill for at least 2 hours. It tastes great and looks very professional. I cut ours up and froze what we did not use, works well

OR

smoked salmon pate

6oz salmon that has been smoked (NOT smoked salmon0 juice of 1 lemon and 75 ml double cream and 50g creme fraiche, put all this in food processor and blitz, put in a bowl in the fridge and serve as quennelles, or put into small ramekins. Delicious.

Choc cake tomorrow.

Jan

will send later Jan

Greenfingers
I do not have the Guiness cake with chocolate so perhaps you would kindly add it on here along with the pate recipe.
This is one of the delights of this thred, there is always so done to help.

) :-)

Bridget do you have the chocolate guiness cake recipe ?

would you like an easy pate recipe to have as a starter for Christmas ?


Regards Jan

We had the sausage hot pot tonight...lovely, could also use it as a soup, if you cut up the sausages

My cake was a disaster...so disappointing......did not rise very well, the bottom burnt and I cannot use it for Christmas. :-(

I will make my good old standby " Guiness Cake" in the next few days.

Can't go to M&S to buy one, which I feel like doing!

Anyone have any suggestions