Ice cream

Just bought myself an ice cream maker and my first batch was lovely. Here is the recipe for Vanilla Ice cream

1/2 pint of double cream
1/2 pint of milk
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
3 oz of sugar

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy. Add the vanilla extract.
Heat the milk in a pan until hot then add to the egg yolks and whisk. Return to the pan and gently heat until thickened. Do not boil otherwise it may curdle. Add the double cream and stir. Allow to cool completely and then chill for a couple of hours. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturers instructions.

Mushroom and chive tagliatelle

I picked up a recipe leaflet today at Asda and thought it looked extremely tasty. I bought the ingredients whilst there and cooked it tonight. Absolutely delicious!

10g butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
500g chestnut mushrooms sliced
150g baby button mushrooms
150ml white wine or cider
200ml low fat creme fraiche
3 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
350g tagliatelle
Salt and black pepper

If using dried pasta then get that on straightaway. If fresh pasta is used cook that in the final two minutes of the recipe.

Melt the oil and butter and add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft. Add the mushrooms and white wine and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the creme fraiche and half of the chives. Season to taste and heat through. Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce and serve immediately. Garnish with black pepper and a few long chives.

I added a good grating of parmesan cheese on top.

Chocolate truffles

Courtesy of Mr Jamie Oliver These truffles are so easy to make and really delicious. My daughter and I have just made a batch for Christmas.

Christmas pudding

My version of a delicious Christmas pudding. Nothing fancy using cheap ingredients

To make 3 large puddings

2 bags of smartprice (Asda) mixed fruit

1 bag of smartprice (Asda) raisins

1 bottle of guiness or this year I used Old peculiar

The juice and rind of a lemon and an orange

A good slush of brandy

240g dark brown sugar

360g butter

3 eggs

180g white breadcrumbs

240g plain flour

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 tablespoon of black treacle

Start the night before by soaking the fruit. Pile it all into a big bowl, add the rind and juice of a lemon and an orange, pour the guiness and brandy in. Add the black treacle. Stir every now and again to mix thoroughly. By morning you will have plump fruit and no liquid.

In the morning.

Cream the butter and sugar together, I do this in my food processor. Add the eggs.

Measure out the flour and spices. Add the flour, breadcrumbs and spices to the fruit and then add the butter, sugar and egg mix to the fruit. Stir thoroughly. Pile into greased pudding basins. I usually put a round of greaseproof paper at the bottom of each pudding basic. Then put a circle of greaseproof and a circle of foil (with a pleat in) over the top of the puddings and tie tightly with string. Put into a slow cooker with water half way up the basins and cook on high for 6 hours (this depends on your slow cooker, you might have to keep checking by sticking a skewer into the middle of the pudding. It needs to come out clean and be piping hot). You really can't overcook a pudding in the slow cooker. Leave to cool for a while and then turnout. Wrap in greaseproof and foil and store somewhere cool until Christmas. I usually put mine in the garage. To reheat I just use my slow cooker again. Reheat for about 3-4 hours.