Savoury Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients
100g bacon, finely chopped
125g plain flour
125g wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
75g mature cheddar cheese
80g butter, melted
2 large eggs
200ml semi-skimmed milk
100g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
Handful fresh chives, finely chopped

Method
1. Preheat oven to 190C (170Cfan).
2. Line 9 holes of a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.
3. Fry of the bacon until golden, remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a large bowl combine the flours, baking powder and bicarb, and season.
5. Grate the mature cheddar, beat together with cooled melted butter, eggs and milk.
6. Add to the dry ingredients, and stir in the bacon, tomatoes and chives - combine well.
7. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and back for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden.

Status
Made in three 1lb greased loaf tins - very tasty - split and served with butter.

Onion Bhajis (Light)

Ingredients
3 red onions, cut into half moons
1 large sweet potato, peeled and grated
2 tbsp gram flour
2 medium eggs, beaten
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper

Methods
1. Preheat oven to 200C (Fan 180C).
2. Combine all ingredients well.
3. Either divide between 12 greased moulds of a muffin tray, or shape into 12 balls and space out on a baking tray.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes depending on size - turn halfway through cooking.
5. To make extra crispy grill for a few minutes once cooked.

Status
Cooked a couple of times - very nice - beware the muffin try, can stick!

Cherry Bakewell Cocktail

Ingredients
170 ml Cherry juice
37.5 ml Amaretto
25 ml Bacardi
12.5 ml Caramel syrup

Method
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice - shake and sieve into a glass . . .

Status
Mmmm . . .

Cauliflower Cheese Tarts

Ingredients

For the Pastry
225g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp turmeric
100g unsalted butter
40ml water (to bind)

For the Filling
1/2 - 1 head cauliflower broken into florets
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
150g greek yoghurt (or creme fraiche)
3 eggs
150g grated mature cheddar
2 tsp english mustard

Method
1.  Rub together the flour, butter and spices, and bring together with the water to form a dough - wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
2.  Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C Fan - blind bake the pastry cases for 30 minutes (20 with baking beans / 10 with the beans and paper removed).
3.  At the same time roast the cauliflower, tossed in oil and seasoned.
4.  Beat the eggs, greek yoghurt , mustard and cheese together.
5.  Let the pastry cool, then fill with the cauliflower and pour over the cheese sauce.  Bake for 20 minutes until browned and bubbling - cool slightly before serving.

Status
Made today - very nice - made a large quiche dish and a couple of ramekins.  Might add a tad of cayenne too next time.

Sweet Potato and Cranberry Cake

Ingredients
300 g sweet potato (peeled weight)
125 ml vegetable oil, plus extra to grease
325 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp salt
200 g caster sugar
100 g dried cranberries
3 medium eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
100 ml milk

For the topping

50 g plain flour
50 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
50 g  caster sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

Method

1.  Peel and chop the sweet potato into c.1cm pieces and simmer in water until soft (about 10 minutes).  Drain and allow to steam dry for 5 minutes before mashing - set aside to cool.

2.  Make the streusel topping - rub the topping ingredients together until the mixture forms large crumbs - set aside.

3.  Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and grease a dish (c. 22cm x 30.5cm).

4.  Sift the flour, baking powder and bicarb into a large bowl, stir in the salt, sugar and cranberries.

5.  Mix together the oil, eggs, vanilla, milk and sweet potato mash. 

6.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and stir to just combine. Pour into the greased dish, level, and scatter over the topping.

7.  Bake for 30-35min or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Status

Made once - very nice - matures well - added salt to the above recipe to intensify the flavours a bit more.

Semolina Biscuits

Ingredients
60g (2oz) butter
90g (3oz) caster sugar
90g (3oz) plain flour
½ level tsp baking powder
90g (3oz) semolina
4 tbsp milk
½ tsp almond essence

Method
1. Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the flour, baking powder and semolina and add enough milk to make a stiff paste, and then add the almond essence.  Roll into small balls (c. 30g each), place on a lined baking tray and squash slightly, and b.

2. Bake at 180°Cfor 12-13 minutes. When firm, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight tin or jar.

Status

Very nice - cooked in the rayburn at a lower temperature for about half an hour.

Veda Bread

Ingredients
270g Strong white flour
20g Roasted Barley Malt Flour
20g Nut Brown Malt Flour
55g (approx 2 tbsp) Barley malt extract
2/3 tsp salt
2/3 tbsp olive oil
145g tepid water
4g yeast (approx 1 - 1.5 tsp)

Method
1. This recipe works perfectly in a bread maker following a standard white loaf programme (small size if you have the option). For a bread maker, add ingredients in the following order: Water, salt, oil, barley malt extract, flours, yeast.
2. If made the old fashioned, manual way - essentially, follow the usual bread making process to combine all the ingredients, knead, prove, etc, cooking for a similar amount of time to a white loaf.

Status

A Northern Irish 'thing' - I'm told this mimics the bought variety well.  Very malty and dark - got the speciality flours from 'BakeryBits'.  Made as a loaf, and the above mixture makes six good sized rolls.